A group of investors led by SoftBank Group Corp and Toyota Motor Corp are in talks to invest US$1 billion or more into Uber Technologies Inc's self-driving vehicle unit, which would value the unit at between US$5 billion and US$10 billion, according to two sources familiar with the talks.
SoftBank Vision Fund is the largest shareholder in Uber with a 15 percent stake.
The news of investment talks was first reported by Wall Street Journal, which said the talks could still fall apart but if there is a deal, it could surface next month.
Uber and SoftBank declined to comment on the report. Toyota could not be immediately reached for a comment.
The ride-hailing company, which last year lost about US$3.3 billion, is betting on a transition to self-driving cars to eliminate the need to pay drivers.
Uber is ramping up preparations for a stock market debut in which it is expected to seek a valuation of up to US$120 billion.
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