Nissan Motor said it planned to commercialise autonomous driving in Japan in the 2027 fiscal year, as part of its so called Ambition 2030 strategy.

The automaker said it would launch commercial services using its own Level 4 technology to help solve transport issues in Japan, such as driver shortages due to the country’s aging population.

Nissan said it planned to provide a broad range of transport services. It had been testing various ideas both in Japan and overseas since 2017, including in the Minato Mirai area of Yokohama and Namie town, Fukushima Prefecture, where a manned service called Namie Smart Mobility has operated since 2021. Outside Japan, Nissan has been testing autonomous driving in London and other areas with the support of the UK government.

The automaker said it planned to launch trials of services in Minato Mirai using manned autonomous vehicles this year in collaboration with local authorities and transport operators, with plans to scale up these trials in 2025.

The level of autonomous driving would be gradually increased to assess public acceptance with the ultimate aim of providing fully driverless services.