Toyota and Aurora Begin Testing Self-Driving Minivans in Texas
Toyota and Aurora Innovation kick off autonomous ride-hailing tests in the Dallas-Fort Worth area using retrofitted Sienna minivans. The fleet navigates highways and suburban streets as the industry faces pressure to turn heavy investments into commercial revenue.
Toyota and Aurora Innovation launch autonomous ride-hailing tests in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas. The fleet consists of Toyota Sienna minivans retrofitted with Aurora's self-driving technology, and each vehicle carries two safety operators without any passengers on board.
The test routes include both suburban streets and highway driving, specifically featuring trips en route to an airport. Aurora highlights this highway capability as a key technical differentiator that allows the company to target popular and lucrative rides that competitors currently cannot serve.
This testing phase comes as autonomous vehicle startups face immense pressure to generate meaningful revenue after years of heavy engineering investments. Aurora plans to continue expanding this test fleet in preparation for a commercial launch on ride-hailing networks like Uber.