PLANO, TEXAS — Pizza Hut and Toyota have formed a global partnership to explore the future of pizza delivery as well as other initiatives to improve mobility, Plano-based Pizza Hut said Jan. 8.
Pizza Hut, part of Yum! Brands, Inc., is a founding member of a mobility service business alliance, which will leverage Toyota’s proprietary mobility services platform to develop connected mobility systems and a flexible, purpose-built, fully autonomous vehicle. Amazon, Mazda and Uber are some other companies in the alliance, which will create an ecosystem of hardware and software support designed to help companies use mobility technology.
Toyota unveiled designs of a self-driving concept vehicle called e-Palette at the Consumer Electronics Show taking place Jan. 9-12 in Las Vegas. Toyota plans to test the e-Palette concept in several regions, including the United States, as early as 2020.
The e-Palette system could support Pizza Hut’s delivery system and even lead to a mobile kitchen. This year Pizza Hut and Toyota will test dual communication technology in Pizza Hut delivery vehicles to capture data on driver patterns and behavior.
“We are about making it easier to get a better pizza, and Toyota is about providing mobility for all,” said Milind Pant, president of Pizza Hut International. “Toyota is an exceptional fit as a technology partner to accelerate our commitment to the best delivery experience.”
