More top Japanese automakers partner with SoftBank-Toyota JV, MONET

Suzuki, Subaru, Daihatsu and Mazda have formed capital and business partnerships with MONET, a joint venture set up last year by SoftBank and Toyota to develop an array of mobility services.

The JV, announced in October 2018, aims to leverage Toyota’s Mobility Services Platform in conjunction with SoftBank’s leading IoT capabilities to develop Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) solutions based on vehicle connectivity.

According to the press release at the time, MONET plans to launch Autono-MaaS enterprises using Toyota’s e-Palette battery electric vehicle by the second half of the 2020s.

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“In addition to those with Toyota, Hino and Honda, our new partnerships with Isuzu, Suzuki, Subaru, Daihatsu and Mazda will enable us to acquire data on their vehicles and mobility services for coordination with the MONET platform,” said Junichi Miyakawa, President and CEO of MONET Technologies, in the firm’s 28 June press release.

“To build a high-level MaaS platform for an autonomous driving society, it is essential to integrate a wide number of datasets, and these partnerships will further accelerate our progress in building the MaaS business that MONET is aiming for. MONET will utilize the data provided by each company and leverage their automotive industry insights and networks. 

“Together with our automotive manufacturer partners we will work to realize and spread innovative mobility services that can resolve Japan’s social mobility issues and create new value.”