New platform expands sensor array and advances autonomous vehicle research. 

The Toyota Research Institute (TRI) has displayed its 2.0 generation advanced safety research vehicle at the company’s Prius Challenge event in Sonoma, California. The all-new test vehicle will be used to explore a full range of autonomous driving capabilities.

“This new advanced safety research vehicle is the first autonomous testing platform developed entirely by TRI, and reflects the rapid progress of our autonomous driving program,” said TRI CEO, Gill Pratt.

The platform is the second generation of the advanced safety research vehicle revealed to the public by Toyota at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show. It is built on a current generation Lexus LS 600hL.

“Basically, it is a smart vehicle designed to get smarter over time,” said Pratt. “It will learn individual driver habits and abilities and will benefit from shared intelligence from other cars as data gathering, sharing and connectivity technologies advance.”