Truck maker Hino will look beyond local partnerships in the development of its autonomous truck technology.
Hino and rival Isuzu are locked in development battle to solve a shortage of parcel delivery drivers in Japan.
According to Hino president Yoshio Shimo, partners for the project will not necessarily be from Japan or even sister company Toyota Motor Corporation.
“We won’t be able to survive by solely learning from Toyota in the changing commercial vehicle industry,” Shimo said.
“We must search for new partners as a manufacturer specialising in trucks,” he said.
Shimo was appointed president last month after serving as Toyota’s managing director responsible for partnership strategy.
He believes Hino can alleviate the driver shortage with unmanned options and is confident the technological hurdles can be overcome.
