DiDi, Toyota to set up JV for smart fleet management

BEIJING -- Chinese mobile transportation platform Didi Chuxing has teamed up with Japanese carmaker Toyota to expand their partnership in smart transportation.

Toyota will invest 600 million U.S. dollars in DiDi and a joint venture which the two companies will establish with GAC Toyota Motor Co. Ltd. to provide vehicle-related services for ride-hailing drivers on DiDi's network, DiDi announced Thursday.

The two parties announced collaboration on the e-Palette, a self-driving modular store in January 2018, and have piloted vehicle-related services for DiDi ride-hailing drivers.

"We look forward to combining DiDi's expertise in AI-based large-scale mobility operations and Toyota's leading connected vehicle technology to build a next-generation intelligent transportation framework for sustainable cities," said DiDi's Senior Vice President Stephen Zhu.

DiDi initiated a cross-sector alliance last year with top carmakers and industry players at home and abroad to create an open platform for future automobile solutions.