JapanToyota expects its Arene software platform to be deployed in 50 car models and 10 million new vehicles a year by 2030, the company told Reuters on 16 October. The statement followed a Nikkei report that Toyota aims to make those models software-defined by then.
What a software-defined car means
In a software-defined vehicle, functions are updated over the air after purchase. Automakers can add safety, autonomous-driving and entertainment features without customers visiting a dealership. Arene is Toyota’s in-house software platform for that job, and it first appeared in the revamped RAV4 launched in 2025.
Where the plan came from
Chief technology officer Hiroki Nakajima outlined the deployment plans at an investor briefing in Brussels the previous week, according to a Toyota spokesperson. Nakajima also said Toyota aims to expand the platform further as it moves toward 2035, including in vehicles from alliance partners, the spokesperson said.
Toyota did not say which models after the RAV4 will get Arene first, or whether the 50 models include its Lexus range. The 2030 and 2035 dates are aims, not commitments to specific launches.
