Plano-based neighbors Toyota and Pizza Hut announced a "global partnership" Monday that could see Pizza Hut pizzas delivered in autonomous vehicles designed and built by Toyota.

At this week's CES in Las Vegas, formerly the Consumer Electronics Show, Toyota unveiled a self-driving, battery-electric concept vehicle called e-Palette. Toyota plans to test the e-Palette in several regions, including the United States, in the early 2020s.

The partnership will bear fruit before then and affect vehicles already in use in the Pizza Hut system. Starting this year, Pizza Hut and Toyota will jointly test dual communication technology in Pizza Hut delivery vehicles to capture data on driver patterns and behaviors.

"Better data will result in improved performance for both companies, optimize the safety of delivery, as well as enhance delivery operations," Pizza Hut said in a release.

LAS VEGAS, NV - JANUARY 08: President of Toyota Motor Corporation Akio Toyoda speaks in front of the e-Palette Concept Vehicle, at CES 2018 on January 8, in Las Vegas, Nevada. C(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images (Alex Wong / Getty Images)

Pizza Hut, the nation's largest pizza chain, is looking at using the vehicles for pizza delivery and potentially mobile kitchens.

The vehicle could make the pizza during delivery "to ensure the ultimate hot, fresh pizza arrives at customers' doors," the company said.

Additional details on how the vehicles would work were not immediately available.

Toyota president Akio Toyoda described the e-Palette as an electric, self-driving vehicle that can act as a food delivery vehicle, a mobile store or be used for ride-hailing.

"It is an open, flexible platform easily adapted to suit a range of uses," Toyoda said. "Today you have to travel to the store. In the future, the store will travel to you."

Pizza Hut is one of the founding members of a new "mobility service business alliance" that also includes Amazon, the ride-hailing service Didi, Mazda and Uber. Members of the alliance will work together to help craft hardware and software for the vehicle.

The e-Palette Concept Vehicle will allow partner companies to install their own automated driving system and vehicle management technology.

There are three length options for the e-Palette Concept, ranging from about 13 feet to about 22 feet.

The announcement speeds up the race for both a viable self-driving vehicle and a killer business app.

"It is my goal to transition Toyota from an automotive company to a mobility company," Toyoda said Monday. "And the possibilities of what we can build in my mind are endless."

Auto companies from General Motors to Tesla and even Google sister brand Waymo are rushing to bring the first fully self-driving cars to the market.

Meanwhile, restaurants are looking to use technology to gain an edge in a space with a growing number of competitors and razor-thin margins.

Major pizza chains have been eagerly watching developments in the self-driving space for years, as they look to boost sales through increased delivery.

The growing use of smartphones allows for delivery at the push of a few buttons.

Between 2011 and 2016, delivery traffic for the top three chains — Pizza Hut, Domino's and Papa John's — gained 2 percent, to 623 million "visits," according the NPD Group research firm. Meanwhile, delivery in the rest of the category slipped 17 percent over the same period.

In August, Domino's Pizza and Ford Motor Co. launched what they called an "industry-first collaboration to understand the role that self-driving vehicles can play in pizza delivery."

All testing was done in Ann Arbor over seven weeks, ending in late September.

"We have been analyzing the data and working on our testing next steps," Domino's said Monday. "Stay tuned for updates."

For Pizza Hut, the potential move to driverless is part of a broader plan to improve delivery, which counts for a sizable share of overall sales.

Last month, the company said it would test delivery of beer and wine. Many Pizza Hut locations are already licensed to serve and distribute beer and wine, which would allow Pizza Hut to eliminate third-party vendors.

The pilot began on Dec. 5 in Phoenix, with beer. The plan is to add wine this month. It is looking at single serving and full bottle options.

The beer and wine will be delivered in a custom cooler designed to deliver the beverages cold.

In October, the company announced plans for a new food delivery pouch with 3M's Thinsulate technology, commonly used in ski jackets, and a re-engineered pizza box with crisp sheet inserts.

It had also hired 14,000 drivers by the end of last year, including 500 in North Texas.

As it looks into having some driverless deliveries, the company said it would "rethink" the role of drivers, but said the drivers' jobs are "secure."

"We are about making it easier to get a better pizza, and Toyota is about providing mobility for all," Milind Pant, president of Pizza Hut International, said in a release. "Toyota is an exceptional fit as a technology partner to accelerate our commitment to the best delivery experience."

Bloomberg News contributed to this report.

Twitter: @krobijake