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Photo provided by Aurora.

Aurora, a US autonomous vehicle (AV) startup, is partnering with the Japanese company Toyota.

With the two companies already cooperating with Uber, many are watching to see what kind of synergy they generate in the area of mobility.

On Feb. 9, Aurora announced plans for a long-term strategic partnership with Toyota on AV mass production. Also taking part in the partnership is the Japanese parts company DENSO, Toyota’s majority shareholder.

Keiji Yamamoto, president of Toyota Connected, explained that the “target is to commercialize autonomous vehicles and services for safe and affordable ride-sharing.”

With the latest move, the strategic partnership between the two companies and Uber becomes even closer-knit. Toyota and Uber have been steadily broadening their cooperation since signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in 2016. Uber and Aurora formed a strategic partnership last December with a swap of Aurora shares and Uber’s AV sector.

At the time, Aurora announced that it would be launching vehicles with its own AV system for Uber’s ride-hailing network.

Ride-hailing services are also the focus of Toyota and Aurora’s cooperation. This year, a test run is planned for the Sienna, a Toyota minivan with an Aurora self-driving system, which is to be commercialized within the next few years and launched with Uber’s platform.

Aurora explained that it plans to work with Toyota in a range of service solution areas after mass production, including financing, insurance and maintenance.

Aurora previously drew notice in South Korea when it was selected for strategic investment by the Hyundai Motor Group. Hyundai and Kia invested around 30 billion won (US$27 million) in Aurora, with a current stake of 0.92%.

An unlisted company, Aurora was recently estimated as being worth more than US$10 billion.

By Lee Jae-yeon, staff reporter

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