• The Next Web, Monday, May 23, 2011 11:38 AM

With some help from Salesforce.com, Toyota is launching its own social networking service. "Toyota Friend" will be offered first on Toyota's Electric Vehicles (EV) and plug-in hybrid cars (PHV), due in 2012, reports The Next Web. "Toyota Friend provides a platform for the car to relay key information to the owner. This could be general maintenance tips or notifications that that the car is running low on power. In this instance, the driver would receive an alert on their mobile, similar to a Tweet."

Toyota Friend will be powered by Salesforce Chatter, which is an enterprise social network. Customers can also choose to make their communications public, by connecting their account with platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook. "Social networking services are transforming human interaction and modes of communication," Toyota Motor Corporation President Akio Toyoda said in a statement. "The automobile needs to evolve in step with that transformation."

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