According to Nikkei Asia, major Japanese automakers, including Toyota and Mazda, will equip their main models with autonomous driving technology around 2022.

As Japanese automakers lag behind their competitors in the United States and China, they believe it is necessary to speed up the installation of autonomous driving features in their products.

There are five levels of autonomous driving technology, and Japanese automakers are beginning to install L2 and above functions. This allows hands-free driving on highways, but still uses the driver as the main operator of the vehicle.

According to Tokyo-based Yano Research Institute, by 2030, 62% of autonomous vehicles will have L2 installed.

Toyota will launch its flagship model Crown after the upgrade from 2022 to 2023, which will include an automatic driving system with hands-free functions on the highway. This technology will be gradually introduced into other models later.

At present, only Lexus high-end cars and fuel cell vehicles Mirai are equipped with this technology. Toyota is considering installing autonomous driving features on lower-priced vehicles such as Corolla.

Starting in 2022, Mazda will introduce L2 or L3 autonomous driving functions in some of its models. At the same time, Subaru plans to add features such as hands-free driving on highways at speeds of up to 50 km/h on all vehicles sold worldwide.

But American manufacturers have taken the lead. Tesla has included L2 level as standard equipment in its models, and Alphabet’s Autopilot Division Waymyo is developing L4 level and above technology.

In Japan, L4 vehicles are not allowed to drive on public roads, but some regulations may be relaxed. However, most Japanese manufacturers are expected to test the reliability of the L2 level before aiming at higher targets.