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Toyota Motor Corp. and Panasonic Corp. announced Thursday that they would integrate their housing activities into the extension of an existing partnership, while they seek to collaborate on "urban development" for next-generation lifestyles where houses and vehicles are connected to the Internet.
The two companies plan to create a joint venture on January 7, 2020. Toyota will focus on new mobility services using autonomous driving technology, while Panasonic brings assets in the development of smart homes equipped with devices taking support Internet and other digital technologies.
The company, Prime Life Technologies Corp., will bring together housing units under its wing, including Toyota Housing Corp., Misawa Homes Co. and Panasonic Homes Co.
The decision of the major automaker and the electronics manufacturer is part of a contraction in demand in the domestic housing market due to the shrinking of the Japanese population. The partnership also strengthens the partnership between companies. In January, they announced the creation of a joint venture for the construction of electric vehicle (EV) batteries, which would combine the research and development and manufacturing strengths of one of the largest car manufacturers and battery manufacturers in the world, in order to compete in the fast growing market of electric vehicles. They also announced that they would expand their current partnership to develop and manufacture batteries for electric vehicles.
Prime Life Technologies will be owned equally by Toyota and Panasonic and will be led by Makoto Kitano, General Manager of Panasonic.
The Mitsui & Co. Trading House is also considering investing in the company, said Toyota and Panasonic.
"From now on, information will link all the elements and services that make people's daily lives easier," said Toyota President Akio Toyoda. "I want to rise to the challenge of offering a new lifestyle."
Panasonic Chairman Kazuhiro Tsuga said in the same statement: "With this collaboration, Panasonic will take on an additional challenge to continue to progress in the development of the city, with the aim of providing the" ideal lifestyle " to each customer. "
Toyota has intensified its efforts to develop autonomous cars and provide various services, especially to older people living in rural areas, including transportation, food and parcel delivery and running.
In the early 2020s, he plans to test the feasibility of the market in different regions using the concept of vehicle e-Palette, a box-shaped battery vehicle without driver's seat, introduced by Toyota last year .
Panasonic has developed homes equipped with appliances that can be remotely controlled via the Internet, including air conditioners, lighting and refrigerators.
Toyota has developed connected cars that can share information on the use, data that could be exploited for carpooling, insurance and maintenance on demand.
The automaker has announced that it will operate its partner's network and operations, ranging from car construction and sales to building homes and companion robots, to expand into new transportation and transportation services. domestic energy.
"If we are able to use this network in the future, not only to manufacture and sell vehicles, but also to provide new services, our future opportunities will be greatly expanded," said Wednesday at the press President Akio Toyota.
"In addition to cars, I think having our own housing business and our connected business will be a big plus for us."
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