Toyota announced their collaboration with Microsoft to expand the carmaker’s capabilities in data management and accelerate the development of their connected services platform.

The Japanese company will launch Toyota Connected as a separate company based in Texas and will work with Microsoft’s engineers to accelerate the R&D process and ‘deliver new connected car solutions and elevated customer experiences’.

“Toyota is taking a bold step creating a company dedicated to bringing cloud intelligence into the driving experience,” said Kurt DelBene, executive vice president, Corporate Strategy and Planning at Microsoft. “We look forward to working with Toyota Connected to harness the power of data to make driving more personal, intuitive and safe.”

More specifically Toyota Connected will work on the areas of in-car services and telematics, including real-time traffic information and connecting a driver with security services in their homes.

Finally, Toyota Connected will adopt Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform, employing a hybrid solution on a global scale. The two companies have been working together since 2011 and their new collaboration represents the industry’s turn to the use of new technologies as we move towards the realization of fully-autonomous vehicles.

VIDEO