Toyota and Volkswagen invest in ride-hailing apps: 'the future of mobility'

Toyota announced partnership with Uber as Volkswagen puts $300m into Tel Aviv-based app Gett, in move that could pave way for apps to use self-driving cars

Two major car companies announced on Tuesday investments in ride-hailing apps, signaling both a growing role for on-demand cars and a new groundwork for app-enabled self-driving fleets.

Toyota will be investing and partnering with Uber, and Volkswagen is putting $300m into Tel Aviv-based ride-sharing app called Gett. In January, General Motors, a longtime Toyota rival, announced that it was putting $500m into Lyft, Uber's most direct competitor.