Japan aims to grab one-third of the global market for so-called software-defined vehicles by 2030, bringing together financial and human resources of the public and private sectors to catch up with industry leaders such as Tesla Inc., the industry and transport ministries said Monday.

The country hopes to see Japanese automakers selling 11 million to 12 million units of such vehicles, whose functions are enabled and upgraded by software, out of an estimated 35 million to 41 million in global sales at that time, the ministries said.

The government will set up an organization this fall under the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry to promote collaboration with automakers on vehicle development, it said.

The plan comes as overseas automakers, such as Tesla of the United States and Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers, have enjoyed fast growth with software-centric cars.

Viewing SDVs, autonomous driving services and data utilization as key areas of global competition for the auto industry, the Japanese government aims to facilitate the acceleration of necessary semiconductor, artificial intelligence and software technology development, the ministries said.

The industry ministry and the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry presented the plan at an experts' panel meeting on Monday, attended by executives from major automakers, including Toyota Motor Corp.

The ministries hope Japanese carmakers will sustain a one-third share in the global SDV market by 2035 when global demand for such vehicles is forecast to increase to around 57 million to 64 million units.

==Kyodo

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