"Rocket Exploration in Progress" Unstoppable Toyota Chairman... Elon Musk Check?

CES 'Comeback' After 5 Years
Emphasizing Future Technology Development in Woven City
"Future Mobility and Space Cannot Be Entrusted to a Single Car Company"

Akio Toyoda, Chairman of Toyota, made an unrestrained presentation upon returning to CES, the world's largest electronics and IT exhibition, after five years. He unveiled a grand plan to design the future in a smart city while showcasing a video of a racing car drifting autonomously. He also surprised the audience by revealing that his dreams extend even to rockets.

Akio Toyoda, Chairman of Toyota, is speaking with a rocket image in the background at the CES 2025 press conference held on the 6th (local time) at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, USA. Photo by Jongmin Baek

On the 6th (local time), Chairman Toyoda appeared in person at the CES 2025 press conference held at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, focusing on revealing the present and future of the smart city called 'Woven City.' In just a 15-minute speech, he shared Toyota's vision of the future mobility world.

The autonomous drifting demonstration video drew an explosive reaction from the audience. Chairman Toyoda explained, "Even I, Toyota’s master driver, initially thought autonomous vehicles were somewhat boring, but after seeing the autonomous drifting race car our team showed, my perspective completely changed. To use the words of young people these days, it was totally awesome."

At the event, Chairman Toyoda emphasized the importance of 'Woven City,' the smart city being developed for future technology development. He announced the completion of the first phase of the 'Woven City' project being built at the foot of Mount Fuji, saying, "Five years ago on this very stage, even wearing the same tie, we presented a future city that is finally taking its first steps."

He stated that Woven City is not just a residential complex but a living laboratory. About 2,000 residents will live in this city, including Toyota employees and their families, retirees, visiting researchers, entrepreneurs, and academics, who will test various future technologies in real environments.

Chairman Toyoda explained that in Woven City, all transportation means will be low-emission or zero-emission, and homes will serve as testbeds for household robots. The video released that day included a demonstration of a robot perfectly replicating a person folding a T-shirt, learned through camera-based training. He also revealed that the 'Flying Car' project is underway in collaboration with Joby Aviation.

Towards the end of the event, he surprised the audience by revealing that they are researching rockets. He elaborated, "We are exploring rockets as well. The future of mobility should not be limited to Earth or confined to just one car company." Chairman Toyoda showed only an image of a rocket on the screen without further explanation. The U.S. tech media TechCrunch noted that Toyota’s mention of rockets contrasts with Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, who is also the founder of the rocket company SpaceX.

Chairman Toyoda emphasized, "This project may not generate immediate profits, but as a global corporate citizen, it is our responsibility to invest in our collective future, share what we have learned with others, and support new ideas that benefit the Earth and humanity." Toyota is also reportedly recruiting startups to move into Woven City.

He also explained the meaning of Woven City. Chairman Toyoda, whose company is soon to celebrate its 100th anniversary, said that Toyota originally started as an automatic loom company and explained, "The future residents of Woven City, the 'Weavers,' will create new fabrics for our future."