• by Chuck Martin , January 8, 2018

Toyota has a new vision for autonomous driving.

Prior to the official opening of CES in Las Vegas this week, Toyota president Akio Toyoda, the third generation Toyoda leading the auto giant, took the stage to detail the major transformation Toyota is undergoing.

“My goal is to transform Toyota from a car company to a mobility company,” said Toyoda.

Toyoda introduced his vision for future mobility, comprising self-driving, all-electric, ride-sharing vehicles using Toyota’s new concept vehicle.

The e-Palette concept vehicle is designed to run using technology from Toyota or those from other companies as well.

“It’s an open, flexible platform,” Toyoda said.

A video shown at the presentation has autonomous vehicles stopping to pick up passengers, other vehicles with work space so someone can continue work while commuting and another that delivers food. As the door opens, a small robotic device rolls out to deliver a product to the final recipient.

In the video, the recipient is identified by facial recognition by the robot.

The e-Palette Alliance, with launch partners including Amazon, Mazda, Didi, Pizza Hut and Uber, intends to create a broad-based ecosystem of hardware and software.

The concept vehicle shown has an open interior design layout and can be outfitted depending on the purpose, such as ride sharing, parcel delivery or mobile commerce. The vehicle will come in three different sizes, according to Toyota.

Toyota is aware of the approaches of various competitors.

“Google, Apple, Facebook is what I think about at night,” said Toyoda, who said the company is committed to having all electric vehicles by 2025.