Toyata Keyless Car To Feature Smart Key Box Technology, Pilot To Begin Early In 2017

Toyota Keyless car will arrive sooner than expected. Toyota will test the Smart key box system that will allow users to unlock doors and start cars with their smartphones. Toyota smartkey box will enable users to unlock their cars without a metal key. Toyota has forged a partnership with Getaround car-sharing service and the testing will start from January 2017.Toyota has invested a whopping $10 million in Getaround, as reported by USA Today.

The Toyota Keyless car will benefit Getaround and is being seen by some as a threat to traditional car ownership. Shigeki Tomoyama, who heads Toyota's Connected Car company, said,

"We don't consider these new services to be negative for us."

Getaround is peer-to-peer car-sharing service. It lets the renters use owners car for as low as $5 an hour. The new Toyota Keyless will change the way people use these services. Users phones will get codes to access the Toyota smartkey box inside the car. The codes would be verified by Bluetooth when the phone would get close to the car, reported Reuters, A Toyota spokesperson said,

"If increased vehicle usage increases the rate at which cars are replaced, this could increase car sales and if more ride-hailing companies use cars from our fleets, then our customers will increase."

The Toyota keyless function will initially be available only in all Lexus models and Toyota Priuses. Based on the success of the project it would be further installed in the unmanned car rental business in Japan. Toyota plans to install the Smartkey function in all cars in the US by 2020. The device will also offer real-time updates on traffic conditions and maps by accessing the data remotely. Toyota is also developing a device that will send the car sharing income to Toyota Financial Services to make lease payments.

Ford and General Motors are developing similar devices to further their button ignition technology. Toyota's Tomoyama said,

"While we're a company that makes and sells cars, at the same time we're a developer of mobility services."