Google to power Toyota cars with Maps, Street View & Panoramio Photos

The latest win for Google is Toyota, which will begin equipping some of its cars with Street View functionality as well as Panoramio photos.

“Starting in January 2014, Toyota drivers will have access to Google Street View and Panoramio via the Toyota Touch 2 with Go connected technology,” Toyota explained.

“The newest in-dash system provides direct access to Google-sourced imagery and geo-tagged photos, allowing drivers to see a realistic view of their surroundings on a map,” it added.

The notion of “door-to-door” navigation is starting to take root and Toyota is talking about this in relation to the new tools. The ability to scout ahead the location you plan to visit may be very useful for parking or just getting an idea of where you’re headed.

The same concept is used by Mercedes in some of its experimental Google Glass apps which provide true door-to-door navigation.