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PHOTOS: A mysterious self-driving Toyota with a stealthy paint job was spotted cruising around San Francisco

PHOTOS: A mysterious self-driving Toyota with a stealthy paint job was spotted cruising around San Francisco

So whose vehicle is it?

We got a better look at the vehicle as it turned left (perhaps to try to evade us).

This gives you a better look at the hardware in the front of the vehicle.

We pulled up alongside the SUV and confirmed there was a person in the passenger seat, but he ignored our requests to roll down his window and answer our questions.

Here's another look at the vehicle's collection of roof-mounted hardware.

The black box-like items on the right and left each appeared to have a camera lens tucked inside.

The top of the car had some other interesting gear, including what appeared to be multiple video cameras and other strange-looking sensors.

Notice the four, puck-like gizmos.

These appear to be LiDARs — the laser sensors used to create high-resolution maps and to let cars "see" and navigate their surroundings autonomously. There were four more of these LiDARs mounted on the front of the car, for a total of 8.

We hit the gas and pulled up close behind so we could get a better look.

We noticed a few curious things right away. The vehicle appears to be a Toyota Highlander, yet the Toyota insignia has been removed from the oval-shaped space above the license plate. The entire body of the vehicle was painted a matte black that gave the vehicle an intriguing and stealthy profile.

We spotted the vehicle on Sunday afternoon in the Bernal Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, which is near the Mission.

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