[eye30]

 Toyota has created a new car-sharing tool that uses Bluetooth and a smartphone to unlock and access a vehicle.

Called the Smart Key Box, the device sits on the dashboard or in the glovebox of a car and uses Bluetooth low energy to identify and validate approved smartphones when they come close.

Powered by a smartphone app on the phone, the customer in the car-share is sent a code once their booking is complete, which is then authenticated when they move up to the car. Toyota calls this process a “handshake”, and once it’s been made the user will be able to open the doors and start the engine, directly from their phone.

Toyota Smart Box: Unlock your car with your smartphone instead of key - BT

[The Gonz]

  In a race with Volvo!

[AlanHo]

This is taking technology more than a step too far.  What's wrong with a nice simple and reliable old fashioned key.

Yet more things to go wrong or get hacked in my opinion.

[PiL]

Being able to share the key electronically is gonna be a game changer for car sharing services like 'go get' etc.