Automotive

The Fukushima Prefectural Government is leading a collaborative effort involving companies from different industries and a robotics testing field to invent a flying car.

Inspired by new ultrathin solar panels developed for satellites, a project led by Toyota Motor Corp. is experimenting with a sun-powered Prius that it hopes will one day operate without needing to be plugged in.

Formations of alliances between carmakers have been expanding further. Auto manufacturers are struggling for survival in an industry that has been undergoing radical change due to the accelerated development of next-generation technologies. They are being put to the test over the results of their strategies.

The transport ministry plans to set up priority lanes for self-driving vehicles on some sections of expressways and other general roads.

Electric vehicles will indicate how much charge they can still hold under proposed guidelines being drawn up for carmakers by the Japanese government.

Toyota Motor Corp. has started recycling hybrid-vehicle batteries in Thailand, aiming to establish a sustainable process for the power source behind eco-friendly cars and cut costs.

The Japanese unit of Sweden’s AB Volvo demonstrated for journalists on Thursday a highly autonomous truck at a sugar factory in Hokkaido, where it moved for about 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) without the involvement of a human driver.

Toyota Motor Corp. plans to form a capital tie-up with Suzuki Motor Corp., the companies announced Wednesday. The two companies will use the capital base as an opportunity to conduct joint research on autonomous driving technologies.

When athletes and organizers descend on Tokyo for the 2020 Olympic Games they’ll be ferried around in autonomous cars, while torch relay runners will be accompanied by vehicles equipped with artificial intelligence. Robots will ferry javelins and hammers.

Everywhere you turn in the transportation industry these days, Toyota Motor Corp. already seems to be there.