TOKYO, April 30 (Reuters) - Toyota Motor ( TM ) and

Alphabet's Waymo said on Wednesday they will explore

collaborating on the development of a new autonomous vehicle

platform and ways to enhance next-generation personally owned

vehicles (POVs).

Toyota ( TM ) will build the platform, which will be deployed in

Waymo's autonomous vehicle fleet, a Waymo spokesperson said. The

companies will also explore how they can leverage Waymo's AV

technology for Toyota's ( TM ) POVs, the spokesperson added.

"The companies aim to further accelerate the development and

adoption of driver assistance and automated driving technologies

for POVs," Toyota ( TM ) and Waymo said in a joint statement.

The companies said they will discuss the possibility of

expanding the scope of their cooperation, adding that Toyota's ( TM )

autonomous driving technology unit Woven by Toyota ( TM ) will join the

potential collaboration.

Waymo has been focusing on growing its presence through

partnerships with automakers such as Hyundai and

Zeekr and other players such as ride-hailing firm Uber ( UBER )

. The plans with Hyundai and Zeekr remain in place, the

spokesperson said.

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said last week that people may be

able to own Waymo's self-driving taxis in the future.

Earlier this month, Waymo, which spun out of Google in 2016,

started collecting data in Tokyo with test rides operated by

human drivers to map key areas of the Japanese capital and get a

better understanding of local infrastructure and driving

patterns.

Woven by Toyota ( TM ) is developing an automotive software

platform, Arene, and setting up a testing site named Woven City

for mobility-related systems and services in Shizuoka

Prefecture, west of Tokyo.