Asian Tech Press (Dec 29) -- Japanese automakers, including Toyota Motor Corp and its affiliate Mazda Motor Corp., will equip their major models with self-driving technology by around 2022, Nikkei reported Tuesday.

The report said these car companies will feature Level 2 and above automated driving technologies, such as autonomous driving that will still be primarily operated by drivers on the road.

By 2030, 62% of self-driving cars will be equipped with Level 2, the report said, citing the Tokyo-based Yano Research Institute.

Toyota plans to install an autonomous driving system that enables hands-off driving at highway speeds on its main model, the Crown, which will be completely improved in 2022-2023. At present, only two models, the top-end Lexus sedan and the fuel cell vehicle (FCV) Mirai, are equipped with the technology, but Toyota plans to gradually expand it to other main models in the future.

Mazda will also feature Level 2-3 autonomous driving on its main SUVs above mid-size from 2022.

Subaru will in principle add a function that allows hands-off driving on highways at speeds of 50 km/h or less to all new vehicles marketed globally in the future.