The partnership between the Toyota Motor Corporation and Mapbox brings enhanced map technology to in-car navigation systems for more drivers.

SAN FRANCISCO, January 4, 2024 – Mapbox, a leading provider of innovative mapping, navigation, and location-based technologies, today announced that the Toyota Motor Corporation (TOYOTA), the automotive manufacturer, will integrate Mapbox software within its in-vehicle navigation systems.

The Mapbox platform supports the custom development and fast rendering of digital maps for the new TOYOTA car navigation system. The high-performance maps provide drivers with relevant information in a modern and easy-to-understand visual interface, the design of which can be updated quickly and remotely.

The Mapbox platform provides TOYOTA with an efficient way to render beautiful maps within the in-car navigation system. The result is an intuitive map experience, akin to the experience of a smartphone, with a map view that smoothly rotates, zooms in and out, and adjusts displayed information dynamically in response to vehicle location, navigation along a route, or user interactions.

In addition to performance enhancements, drivers will notice updates to the visual design of the TOYOTA in-car maps. Mapbox maps can be entirely customized to any brand or use case, from precise control over colors and fonts, to the ability to create and emphasize particular points of interest that are relevant for users. In the case of TOYOTA, engineers and designers have tailored the visual appearance of the in-car maps to improve driver experience and align with design standards for each vehicle model and brand.

In-car navigation systems are undergoing dramatic improvements as automakers like TOYOTA invest in infotainment systems and navigation enhancements. Modern map design and seamless rendering is now an essential, and expected, part of the driver experience. Automakers expect map technology that displays buildings precisely, includes rich peripheral information such as stores and points of interest, and is continuously updated with the latest map data.

More about Mapbox Automotive

In addition, automakers and UX designers expect greater control over the visual design of maps in order to match the concept of the vehicle and the expansion of navigation features, such as real-time display of speed and traffic information. Building with a cloud-based map platform like Mapbox means that design updates, in addition to data updates, can be published anytime without needing to wait for drivers to make a software upgrade.

The ability to update in-car navigation systems rapidly and over the air is especially transformative considering the new features that Mapbox is launching with automotive partners:

• MapGPT AI Voice Assistant service equips automakers to build custom voice assistants that can have in-depth, natural conversations about directions, landmarks, roads, and other highly dynamic aspects of the world, constantly updated with Mapbox location data.
• Mapbox Autopilot Map supports automakers to equip their vehicles with precise, up-to-date maps that significantly expand the roads that vehicle autopilot systems can navigate.
• Mapbox 3D Live Navigation combines 3D lane models, real-time sensor information, sign data, environmental models, 3D landmark buildings, dynamic lighting conditions and weather data to deliver an accurate, more natural and visually stunning navigation experience.
• Mapbox for EV is an end-to-end solution for electric vehicles that accurately predicts available range, helps discover the best charging locations and enables payments directly from the infotainment screen at the charging location 
• Mapbox Dash integrations for In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) combine maps and navigation with vehicle systems data and entertainment functions, as well as speech recognition for safe hands-free operation while driving. Mapbox Dash creates options for dialogue between a vehicle’s computer and the driver, such as sharing analysis of vehicle performance or recommended driving courses based on driver behavior.

Automakers are partnering with Mapbox for in-vehicle maps and navigation based on three primary advantages:

• Live updating global data on the cloud: Automakers can tap into Mapbox APIs, eliminating the need to store large amounts of data within the in-vehicle navigation system and speeding up the pace of development. Map data updates can be pushed to the in-vehicle system without a burdensome software update, enabling rapid data correction and enhancement.
• Compatibility with diverse and custom data sources: Automakers with particular data requirements or partners can enhance their data with Mapbox data offerings including traffic rules, live and typical traffic congestion information, and point of interest details.
• Modular software development kits (SDKs): Mapbox provides flexible developer resources for tailored implementations, including the Navigation SDK for route planning and turn-by-turn directions, Maps SDK for rendering maps, Search SDK for address search, and ADAS SDK for safety-critical attributes like road curvature, slope and speed limits.

Additional resources:

• Mapbox for Automotive
• Mapbox Wins Autotech Breakthrough Award 2023: Navigation Technology Solution of the Year