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Technology and innovation the focus of Toyota in Japan and New Zealand
As Toyota’s prototype city of the future, Woven City, opens for residents and innovation partners, Toyota New Zealand has mobilised its local resources to support an initiative to connect New Zealand’s brightest technology companies with tech leaders from Silicon Valley in California.
Five years ago, the then CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation, Akio Toyoda, announced that Toyota would be building a living laboratory at the base of Mt Fuji in Japan. Woven City would be designed as a compact and sustainable city where the latest ideas and technologies, such as autonomous electric vehicles and reticulated hydrogen providing energy for homes, could be tested in real life.
This month, Mr Toyoda, now Chairman of Toyota, announced that phase one of the Woven City campus was complete and the first of an expected 2,000 residents would soon move in.
Mr Toyoda says the company planned to focus on four key areas of research and innovation: the mobility of people, goods, information and energy.
“We think of Woven City as a ‘test course for mobility’ …where we can develop any number of solutions. From personal mobility devices…like a wheelchair race car…because everybody should experience the joy of going fast!...to drones that safely escort you home at night,” he says.
Woven City will house a wide range of people, dubbed “weavers” by Mr Toyoda, including Toyota employees and their families, retirees, scientists, retailers, industry partners, entrepreneurs and visiting academics. Spaces have been built for laboratories and innovative startups to develop, build and test their concepts.
He has invited innovative companies to talk to Toyota about working from Woven City. He also announced a pitch competition for fully funded “scholarships" to the Woven City for start-ups or individuals who need financial support to bring their ideas to life.
“We believe that by combining Toyota's strengths… with those from different industries… we'll be able to create new value, new products and new services, we could never achieve on our own. We think of it as invention by kakezan……or invention by multiplication,” he says.
Here in New Zealand, Toyota is also supporting technology innovation by partnering with Far Out: The Epic New Zealand 4X4 Road Trip as the lead sponsor of the convoy. Far Out is a convoy of over 90 people, including 35 leading United States tech founders, engineers, executives and investors who are travelling the length of New Zealand to visit and learn about the New Zealand tech environment.
The mission of the Far Out 4X4 Road Trip is to supercharge New Zealand tech and innovation companies by bringing together the brightest local technology companies and startup founders and facilitate an opportunity to build relationships with the who's who of Silicon Valley, US venture capitalists and investors as well as fostering a funnel of global talent to help propel NZ companies to global success.
Tatsuya Ishikawa, Acting CEO of Toyota New Zealand, believes the synergies between Woven City, Far Out and Toyota New Zealand’s ambitions are strong. “Toyota are moving from being a traditional car company to being a company that provide mobility solutions for everyone. To achieve that, innovation and collaboration is key. These are important steps to driving New Zealand forward together and Far Out has given us a great opportunity to meet these people and hear their stories.”
Events planned throughout the Road Trip, include dinners and more formal evening events (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown) that involve people from local regional ecosystems who are not part of the travelling convoy to meet convoy attendees.
Far Out was created by Rob Coneybeer, Co-Founder of Shasta Ventures, in collaboration with several close New Zealand friends. Rob splits his time between New Zealand and Seattle, and on behalf of Shasta Ventures has invested in eight NZ-based startups. His mission in creating the Far Out Road Trip is to cultivate relationships that will help propel New Zealand companies to global success. The inaugural trip was made in 2024. 2025 will be the second year of the event with the intention to continue to host the event annually each February.
Rob Coneybeer says he is “focused on New Zealand because it has enormous potential. It’s not the land that makes New Zealand great, it’s the people."
Toyota New Zealand has joined Icehouse Venture, NZX, GD1, Blackbird, BNZ, Shasta Ventures and Mountain Club as partners of the event. Toyota is providing two new Land Cruiser Prados for the Far Out Convoy which starts in Auckland on 31 January and finishes in Queenstown on 8 February.
Toyota Motor Corporation Chairman Akio Toyoda says Toyota invests in new technologies and innovation because the company “has a responsibility to invest in our collective future…to share what we've learned with others…and support new ideas that benefit the planet and its people”.