Nissan has announced plans to commercialise autonomous mobility services in Japan by fiscal year 2027.
This initiative is part of its Nissan Ambition 2030 vision to enhance mobility in local communities across Japan. To do so, the company aims to address issues such as driver shortages due to an ageing population.
Nissan has been testing a business model to offer mobility services in Japan and abroad since 2017. For example, its manned mobility service, Namie Smart Mobility, has been in operation since 2021 in the Minato Mirai area of Yokohama and Namie town.
Outside Japan, Nissan has been testing autonomous technologies in London and other areas with support from the UK government.
The company now plans to begin offering autonomous services in Japan from fiscal year 2027. As part of this roadmap, it will commence trials in the Minato Mirai area in fiscal year 2024.
Nissan then plans to scale up its trials, while increasing the level of autonomous driving and assessing customer acceptance.
Specifically, the roadmap includes:
- Fiscal year 2024 – Driving tests in the Minato Mirai area of Yokohama using an autonomous driving vehicle based on the Serena minivan
- Fiscal years 2025 to 2026 – Service demonstration tests in the Yokohama area, including Minato Mirai, Sakuragi-cho and Kannai, with a total of 20 manned vehicles
- Fiscal year 2027 – The start of services in three to four municipalities, including rural areas, with tens of vehicles
