TOKYO -- Leading carmakers such as Ford Motor and Toyota Motor are catching up with tech giants in the global race to develop self-driving technology

Ford and Toyota top self-driving technology league table

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2021-05-24 04:30:04

TOKYO -- Leading carmakers such as Ford Motor and Toyota Motor are catching up with tech giants in the global race to develop self-driving technology as indicated by new patent data.

The two companies claimed the top two positions on a list of most competitive firms in terms of patents related to autonomous driving technology. The list was compiled by Nikkei and based on a survey of patents registered in the U.S. by the end of January conducted by Patent Result Co., a Tokyo-based company that analyzes such licenses.

Ford and Toyota have overtaken Waymo, the autonomous car company owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, which topped the previous list made in July 2018.

As self-driving technology edges closer to practical use, automakers are now threatening to one-up IT powerhouses that once led the pack, given their expertise in conventional car manufacturing.

A total of 12 Japanese companies including Sony as well as major carmakers like Toyota, Honda Motor and Nissan Motor, were among the the top 50 on the list. But Japanese players are still trailing their U.S. and Chinese rivals in terms of total distances covered in test driving on public roads in the U.S.