Toyota Connected is doubling its employee base and expanding its office space at the Legacy West development in Plano.
The company, founded by Toyota Motor North America to expand Toyota’s smart car developments, expects to hire 100 more employees than the initial 100 it previously announced, for a total of 200. It also plans to add 13,500 square feet to its 20,000-square-foot office.
News of the expansion comes one year after Toyota Connected launched. The company already has hired 55 technologists for roles including data scientists, engineering, and software development. It also has begun developing Toyota’s Mobility Services Platform, a cloud-based digital ecosystem that will enable mobility services such as ride sharing, car sharing, and remote delivery.
“The amount of interest and demand in leveraging our big data to create new products and services has been incredible,” Zack Hicks, Toyota Connected CEO and Toyota Motor North America chief information officer, said in a release. “Over the past year, we’ve been scaling up to deliver on these new opportunities, which will significantly impact the way consumers interact with vehicles.”
Together with Toyota and Lexus Financial Services, the company also is conducting trials for flexible leasing and innovative payment features, aiming to support the rising sharing economy. In addition, the company is exploring services that could manage fleets, expand ride-sharing capabilities, and leverage big data to improve the customer experience.
Toyota Connected, which serves as Toyota’s global data science hub, uses Microsoft’s cloud-based Azure platform to deliver its services. The division also supports ongoing research on artificial intelligence and robotics, as well as the Toyota Research Institute.
