Toyota's Woven City may very well be ready for its close-up, as Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda provided a lively update to the smart city's development, including readiness to start welcoming up to 100 residents this year.
Located at the former site of Toyota Motor East Japan's (“TMEJ”) Higashi-Fuji Plant in Susono City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, Woven City has completed its first phase in development.
Toyoda called the project a living laboratory, "where the residents are willing participants," who will "invent and develop all kinds of new products and ideas." He added that the city gives “inventors the opportunity to freely test their ideas in a secure real-life setting, a place where we can welcome people and partners from around the world.” He spoke on the eve of CES 2025. Woven City has already earned Japan’s first LEED for Communities Platinum certification, the system’s highest rank.
And who are these participants and inventors? From the company's press release and site: Centered around three core concepts - A Living Laboratory, Human-Centered, and Ever Evolving City, Woven City serves as a test course for mobility to fulfill our purpose of well-being for all...These inventors include Toyota and Toyota Group companies, such as WbyT, as well as external companies, startups, and individual entrepreneurs.
"By leveraging Toyota’s decades-long manufacturing expertise and WbyT’s software capabilities, Woven City offers a unique environment equipped with the tools and services needed to tackle societal challenges and create future-focused value. Through collaboration amo,ng inventors and feedback from residents and visitors, Woven City aims to drive innovation and shape a better tomorrow."
Autonomous vehicles were also briefly touched upon by Toyoda, who seemed thrilled to share a bit of a revelation: "Between you and me, as Toyota's master driver, I personally thought autonomous vehicles were a bit, you know, boring," he quipped, "until our team showed me these two Toyota race cars that drift autonomously.”