Toyota, Denso team with Aurora on self-driving cars for Uber, others

FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: The logo of Toyota carmaker is seen on a car in Nice, France, April 8, 2019. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard/File Photo

DETROIT (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp and longtime supplier partner Denso Corp will team up with self-driving car startup Aurora to develop and build autonomous minivans for ride hailing networks, the companies said on Tuesday.

The deal gives San Francisco-based Aurora a clearer path to profitability as it competes with Alphabet Inc's Waymo, General Motors Co's majority-owned Cruise and Argo AI, whose principal investors are Ford Motor Co and Volkswagen AG.