Companies

Nissan to Work with Uber on Autonomous Driving, Aims to Provide Unmanned Ride-Hailing Services Domestically, Internationally

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Nissan Motor Co.’s Leaf electric vehicle is seen in Koto Ward, Tokyo, in October.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:39 JST, March 10, 2026

Nissan Motor Co. is making final arrangements for collaboration with major U.S. car dispatch service company Uber Technologies Inc. in the field of autonomous driving, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

Nissan will supply autonomous vehicles, aiming to provide unmanned ride-hailing services domestically and internationally within a few years. The company is expected to provide vehicles based on its Leaf electric model.

In December, Nissan signed a collaboration agreement with British startup Wayve Technologies Ltd. to mass-produce autonomous vehicles featuring artificial intelligence software. They are jointly developing vehicles that can drive to destinations in an autonomous mode with drivers not touching the steering wheel. Nissan, which is undergoing management restructuring, aims to strengthen collaborations in the field of autonomous driving, its focus area, to improve the firm’s earnings.

Competition in autonomous ride-hailing services is intensifying, with U.S. EV maker Tesla, Inc., for instance, launching a trial service in Texas last year.

In Japan, the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry has set a target for the number of taxis and trucks capable of Level 4 automated driving, a stage at which the system conducts all driving operations under specific conditions, at 10,000 or more by fiscal 2030.