Toyota Connected

What Toyota Connected does

Toyota Connected North America (TCNA) is a Plano, Texas-headquartered software subsidiary of Toyota Motor North America, established in 2016 with regional offices in Chennai (India) and broader operations spanning six countries and four continents. TCNA functions as Toyota's in-house connected-mobility software and innovation hub, building the Drivelink telematics platform that powers Safety Connect across 40+ Toyota and Lexus models in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico — serving 5.5M+ vehicles in North America and 12.5M+ connected vehicles globally, with 99.9%+ system uptime and 5M+ completed customer calls as of November 2024. The product portfolio spans telematics and emergency services (Drivelink, i3-compliant Advanced Automatic Collision Notification, Advanced Rear Seat Reminder, Micro-Collision Detection), in-vehicle infotainment (Toyota Audio Multimedia, Lexus Interface on Automotive Grade Linux with Woven by Toyota's Arene SDK, Virtual Voice Assistant responding to 'Hey Toyota'/'Hey Lexus'), a cloud data platform (Toyota Big Data Center), AI/ML applications (GPT-4 chatbot, Stable Diffusion/ControlNet art generator, LLM-powered digital owner's manual, EV Range Assist), and the open-source Fluorite 3D game engine.

The core technology stack combines cloud-based telematics, AI/ML, NLP, computer vision, predictive analytics, and anomaly detection over the Toyota Big Data Center, with a hardware-aware 3D rendering layer (Flutter/Dart, C++ ECS, Google Filament). TCNA's revenue is generated primarily through subscription connected services bundled with Toyota/Lexus vehicles (Safety Connect, Remote Connect, Drive Connect) and through B2B fleet data services sold to corporate fleet operators, rental car companies, and dealers, with an expanding Geotab partnership. Distribution is OEM-embedded via Toyota's global manufacturing and dealer network; go-to-market includes direct enterprise fleet sales and channel partnerships. The customer base is structurally concentrated in the Toyota/Lexus ecosystem (parent Toyota Motor North America, Lexus, Toyota/Lexus dealerships, corporate and rental fleets), with PSAPs as a government endpoint for emergency data delivery.

Name

Toyota Connected

Legal name

Toyota Connected North America, Inc.

Website

https://toyotaconnected.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Toyota Connected North America is a Toyota Motor North America subsidiary that builds the Drivelink telematics platform, infotainment systems, and AI-powered connected services embedded across Toyota and Lexus vehicles in over 40 models and six countries, serving millions of drivers and fleet customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Connected Vehicle Software and Telematics

NAICS

Motor Vehicle Electrical and Electronic Equipment Manufacturing (336320), Motor Vehicle Electrical and Electronic Equipment Manufacturing (33632), Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing (3363)

SIC

Motor Vehicle Parts & Accessories (3714), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Automotive Infotainment, Telematics & Connectivity Hardware Manufacturing (TCU/V2X/GNSS) (IMACAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Telematics, GPS Tracking & Connected Fleet Services (THADAKAF), Video Telematics, ADAS & AI Dashcams (TLAEAFAG)

Keywords

• Connected vehicle services
• Telematics platform software
• Automotive data analytics
• Fleet management solutions
• In-vehicle infotainment systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Plano

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Connected Services Subscriptions: Subscription-based revenue from Toyota Safety Connect, Remote Connect, and Drive Connect services bundled with Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Customers pay for subscription trials and renewals to access telematics, emergency services, remote vehicle control, and navigation features.
2. B2B Fleet Data Services: Revenue from providing vehicle data insights, predictive maintenance alerts, and fleet management solutions to corporate fleet operators, rental car companies, and dealers. Data services help optimize fleet operations, reduce downtime, and improve customer experiences.
3. Vehicle OEM Integration: As a Toyota subsidiary, TCNA develops in-vehicle software and connectivity features that are embedded in Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Revenue flows through the Toyota Motor North America relationship as a cost center within the Toyota ecosystem.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Toyota Connected North America develops and operates the Drivelink proprietary telematics platform and the Toyota Big Data Center cloud data platform that power safety, mobility, and convenience services for Toyota and Lexus vehicles. The company builds in-vehicle software including infotainment systems (Toyota Audio Multimedia and Lexus Interface), a virtual voice assistant, and AI-driven applications for fleet operators and dealers. Its technology is OEM-embedded into millions of vehicles across 40+ models, with services such as Safety Connect, Remote Connect, and Drive Connect sold as bundled subscriptions through the Toyota dealer network and sold directly to enterprise fleet customers.

Product overview

Toyota Connected North America operates as a software and innovation hub that provides a platform-plus-modules architecture for connected mobility services. The core platform consists of the Connected Mobility Intelligence Platform (Drivelink telematics infrastructure) supporting over 5.5 million vehicles, the Toyota Big Data Center for vehicle data ingestion, and UX/UI Design services. Key products include Drivelink (proprietary telematics platform powering Safety Connect), the Virtual Voice Assistant (hands-free 'Hey Toyota' control), Toyota Audio Multimedia and Lexus Interface (infotainment systems), and Micro-Collision Detection. Additional modules include Advanced Rear Seat Reminder, EV Range Assist, and the Fluorite game engine for 3D in-vehicle interfaces. The portfolio serves Toyota and Lexus customers across North America with safety, convenience, and mobility features.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Drivelink: Telematics service platform that powers Toyota and Lexus Safety Connect, providing 24/7 access to first responders, roadside assistance, automatic collision notification, and stolen vehicle locator services.
• Safety Connect
• Toyota Audio Multimedia
• Lexus Interface

Products and services

• Drivelink Telematics Platform Toyota Connected's proprietary telematics services platform that powers Safety Connect for Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Provides 24/7 automated calling services including Automatic Collision Notification, Emergency Assistance (SOS), Stolen Vehicle Locator, Roadside Assistance, and Hands-Free Destination Assist. Supports more than 5.5 million vehicles across 40+ models in North America with historically 99.9%+ uptime.
• Toyota Audio Multimedia In-vehicle infotainment system for Toyota vehicles featuring 5G connectivity, customizable home screen widgets, built-in Voice Assistant, Drive Recorder, EV Domain for PHEVs, SiriusXM with 360L, Spotify integration, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, and full-screen navigation on digital gauge cluster. Built on Automotive Grade Linux with Woven by Toyota's Arene SDK.
• Lexus Interface Enhanced multimedia system for Lexus vehicles featuring AT&T 5G connectivity, improved embedded voice assistant ('Hey Lexus'), Drive Recorder functionality, full-screen navigation on multi-information display, and EV Charge Management for battery electric vehicle models.
• Toyota Big Data Center Cloud-based data platform that safely ingests and stores vehicle-generated data from millions of connected Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Features Privacy by Design architecture with encryption in transit and at rest, enabling data scientists to develop predictive solutions, fleet management insights, and continuous product improvements while protecting customer privacy.
• Safety Connect Suite of safety services powered by Drivelink telematics, providing 24/7 access to first responders via Emergency Assistance (SOS button), Enhanced Roadside Assistance, Automatic Collision Notification with i3-compliant crash data delivery to PSAPs, and Stolen Vehicle Locator. Offered as subscription add-on bundled with Toyota and Lexus vehicle purchases.
• Fluorite Game Engine Open-source console-grade game engine developed for in-car infotainment systems, capable of rendering interactive 3D graphics on low-power embedded hardware. Built on Flutter/Dart with C++ ECS architecture and Google Filament renderer, designed to replace pre-rendered vehicle graphics with interactive 3D interfaces.
• UX/UI Design Services Global UX/UI design leadership for Toyota companies, creating easy-to-use, feature-rich in-vehicle experiences for head units across Toyota and Lexus. Team employs kaizen (continuous improvement) practices, responds to customer feedback, and provides ongoing design enhancements to infotainment systems.
• Fleet Data Insights and Predictive Maintenance Services B2B fleet management solution for corporate fleet operators and rental car companies, ingesting hundreds of vehicle data points per second from millions of Toyota and Lexus vehicles to deliver real-time monitoring (mileage, fuel level, tire pressure), predictive maintenance alerts, micro-collision detection, and fuel-gauge detection for rental fleet revenue optimization.

Quantifiable outcome

• System downtime reduced from 7% to 0.01% compared to previous third-party provider
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability13 records

Feature10 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Woven by Toyota: Toyota's own software-defined vehicle subsidiary pursuing overlapping connected-car, ADAS, and Arene SDK initiatives. Most directly comparable peer given shared parent, overlapping mandates, and shared technology stack (Automotive Grade Linux, Arene).
• OnStar (General Motors): GM's flagship connected vehicle services subsidiary offering emergency response, stolen vehicle assistance, remote access, and turn-by-turn navigation — directly comparable to Toyota Connected's Safety Connect, Remote Connect, and Drive Connect bundles.
• Ford Pro: Ford's commercial and connected vehicle division offering fleet telematics, productivity software, and charging solutions. Directly comparable on the B2B fleet data services side and on OEM-embedded connected vehicle platforms.
• BMW Connected Drive: BMW's connected vehicle platform providing in-car apps, remote services, concierge, real-time traffic, and over-the-air updates. Comparable premium OEM connected services offering bundled with vehicle sales.
• Mercedes-Benz Connected Vehicle (Mercedes me): Mercedes-Benz's connected vehicle ecosystem offering MBUX infotainment, in-car apps, remote services, and OTA updates. Comparable premium OEM connected services with comparable regulatory/safety features.
• Hyundai Bluelink / Kia Connect: Hyundai Motor Group's connected vehicle services spanning remote start, vehicle location, emergency assistance, and infotainment across Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis brands. Comparable scale, scope, and OEM-embedded business model.
• Stellantis (Uconnect / Free2Move): Stellantis's connected vehicle platform (Uconnect) and mobility services arm (Free2Move) provide comparable infotainment, telematics, and fleet services across Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Peugeot, and other brands.
• Geotab: Global leader in fleet telematics and connected vehicle data. Toyota Connected's global partner with overlapping fleet management capabilities — comparable on B2B fleet data and telematics platform side.

Broad incumbents

• Harman International (Samsung): Samsung-owned automotive technology supplier delivering infotainment, telematics, ADAS, and connected car solutions to multiple OEMs including Toyota competitors. Broad incumbent providing similar underlying capabilities as a tier-1 supplier rather than captive subsidiary.
• Continental Automotive: Major automotive Tier-1 supplier with significant connected vehicle, infotainment, and telematics product lines serving multiple OEMs. Broad incumbent with comparable underlying technology stack across a diversified customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/toyota-connected-north-america
• Instagraminstagram.com/toyotaconnected

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Toyota Connected