First and foremost, Toyota is committed to automated driving because the technology could prevent crashes caused by human error. Toyota’s approach to automated driving includes Mobility Teammate Concept, Chauffeur and Guardian™, to realise mobility that is safe, accessible and convenient.
Why Guardian?
You may wonder why Toyota develops Guardian on top of Chauffeur. Chauffeur technology will make a meaningful impact on the lives of people who cannot or do not wish to drive. But its development faces significant technical and social challenges that will take time to address.
For this reason, many deployments of Level 4-equivalent systems are operating test cars in highly limited conditions, such as low-speed, light traffic, fewer pedestrians or cyclists, fair weather, etc. We are designing Guardian to avoid many of these constraints. With Guardian, we can introduce higher levels of driver assistance into production vehicles and evaluate safety benefits of automated driving sooner. Guardian can also build trust and acceptance for highly automated technology.