Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE:TM), currently the world's top seller of automobiles, is building its own social network for its cars, which network would allow users to connect to Twitter and Facebook.

Social networking is fast gaining popularity. Facebook, a social utility aimed at helping people communicate more efficiently, is the world's most popular social network with more than 500 million active users and one of the most-trafficked sites in the world. Twitter, which allows people to exchange information via 140-characters using their smartphones or iPads or computers, is estimated to have more than 200 million users at present.

Toyota and Salesforce.com Inc. (NYSE: CRM) announced Monday that they have formed an alliance to create a social network that would allow owners of future Toyota electric and plug-in hybrids connect with each other and obtain information on their vehicles.

Called "Toyota Friend," the service allows Toyota customers to connect with their cars, their dealership, and with Toyota.For example, if an EV or PHV is running low on battery power, Toyota Friend would notify the driver to re-charge in the form of a "tweet"-like alert. In addition, while Toyota Friend will be a private social network, customers can choose to extend their communication to family, friends, and others through public social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. The service will also be accessible through smart phones, tablet PCs, and other advanced mobile devices.

Toyota Friend will be offered, first in Japan, initially with Toyota's electric vehicles (EV) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHV) due in 2012.

TMC President Akio Toyoda said, "Social networking services are transforming human interaction and modes of communication. The automobile needs to evolve in step with that transformation. I am always calling for Toyota to make ever-better cars. The alliance that we announce today is an important step forward in achieving that goal."

To date, TMC has developed its own telematics services to connect people, cars and their surroundings. Through Toyota Friend, TMC aims to offer its telematics services worldwide. Moving forward, TMC plans to advance toward the realization of future mobility by teaming up proactively with global IT companies. Although TMC and salesforce.com will launch their partnership with the building of Toyota Friend, in the future the companies plan to develop cloud services for TMC's open platform and create new business opportunities leveraging their respective strengths.

Salesforce.com and TMC will each make investments in Toyota Media Service Co. (TMS), which oversees TMC's global cloud platform development. Salesforce.com will invest 223 million yen and TMC will invest 442 million yen. Microsoft Corporation, which on April 6 announced a strategic partnership with TMC to build a global platform for next-generation telematics services, will invest 335 million yen.