Toyota Yaris Cross to debut connected car network

Japanese telco KDDI and its ‘global communications platform’ will provide upcoming Toyota vehicles with connected car functionality before the end of the year, starting with the Yaris Cross compact SUV.

Launching in Australia next month, the all-new Toyota Yaris Cross will be the first vehicle to take advantage of the blossoming 4G-based comms system.

The connected car infrastructure and networks will initially enable basic remote car operations but will expand to allow cars to talk to each other (V2V) and to infrastructure (V2I) and eventually pave the way for autonomous driving.

It’s likely the Yaris Cross and other vehicles will get their own modem or SIM card, connected to the Telstra 4G network. It’s not clear if additional costs will be incurred as a result.

Toyota is yet to confirm what sort of functionality will be available to connected vehicles in Australia, except to say that “new safety and security services” will be added.

Overseas, the KDDI/Toyota connected car platform enables remote engine start and pre-heating/cooling of the vehicle, remote diagnostics allowing service departments to identify issues and emergency dial-outs in the event of a car crash.

There’s also remote downloading of sat-nav destinations and car-based Wi-Fi hot spots so all passengers can get online hassle-free.

All these features are likely starters for the Toyota Yaris Cross in Australia, and mirror what other mainstream car brands already offer, such as the FordPass system which launched mid-year.

Following the new system’s implementation in the Yaris Cross, Toyota Australia will announce which models will get the connected car treatment “on a case-by-case basis”.

KDDI first announced its partnership with Toyota to create a global communications platform designed specifically for vehicles in 2016 and has since been rolling out the technology globally, partnering with various domestic telecommunications partners, such as Telstra, to provide wireless network support.

KDDI and Toyota are actively courting other car brands (predominantly in Japan) to adopt the ‘global communications platform’ that creates a common ‘language’ that links vehicles, infrastructure, networks and smartphones.

Toyota says it will provide more detailed information later in the year.