Toyota Media Service Corporation (Toyota Media Service) and Microsoft Corporation (Microsoft) will jointly establish a new company, Toyota Connected, Inc. (Toyota Connected), in Plano, Texas.

The new company will manage the Toyota Big Data Center (TBDC), which gathers data from Toyota and Lexus cars equipped with onboard data communication modules (DCMs) and conduct research into big data and its application for developing ever-better cars.

Toyota Connected is founded on Toyota's longstanding collaboration with Microsoft and will receive the support of Microsoft engineers in a wide area of Toyota Connected operations such as data analytics and mobile technologies.

In addition to in-car services and telematics, Toyota Connected will extend its scope of operations while ensuring that the common focus of all of them is the customer. Program areas will include home/IoT connectivity, personalization, safety, smart city integration, and a broad range of services for Toyota affiliates, fleet services, and more.

Shigeki Tomoyama, president of Toyota Media Service, will be chairman, with Zack Hicks, Chief Information Officer of Toyota Motor North America, serving as President and Chief Executive Officer.

On the establishment of Toyota Connected, President Hicks said, "Toyota Connected will leverage the power of data science and data analysis to support the provision of services adapted to each customer. From telematics services that learn from your habits and preferences, to use-based insurance pricing models that respond to actual driving patterns, to connected vehicle networks that can share road condition and traffic information, our goal is to deliver services that make lives easier."