Woven City Unveiled at CES 2020
Officially Opens After Five Years...
Public Visits to Begin in 2026
The futuristic experimental city "Toyota Woven City," developed by Toyota Motor Corporation Group, was officially launched on September 25. First unveiled at CES 2020, Woven City has opened its doors after five years, with 300 selected applicants set to move in initially.
On this day, Toyota announced that it held an official launch event at Woven City, located in Susono, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, inviting key stakeholders. With the beginning of full-scale resident move-ins, Woven City has taken its first step as a core hub for mobility demonstration.
The Toyota Group refers to companies and individuals developing and testing new products and services in Woven City as "Inventors." There are about 20 participants in the Inventor program.
Joint demonstration themes utilizing these inventors range from mobility-related topics, such as providing a wide range of services based on a multi-purpose BEV platform, an electric compact three-wheeled EV sharing service, and an autonomous robot (Guide Mobi) for automated shared mobility delivery, to experiments on pollen-free and personalized functional spaces, and even studies on the impact of coffee on people's creativity and productivity.
Toyota President Akio Toyoda speaking at the official launch event of Woven City. Photo by Toyota Motor Corporation Group
The goal is to realize "Kakezan (Multiplication)" by combining Toyota's manufacturing expertise, the software technology of its subsidiary Woven by Toyota (WbyT), and the strengths and expertise of the inventors, thereby creating new social value.
Woven City operates an accelerator program to encourage broad participation not only from inventors but also from startups, entrepreneurs, universities, and research institutions. From September 8 to October 14, ideas for trials to be conducted at Woven City are being solicited worldwide.
In addition, residents and visitors, called "Weavers," also participate in the process of invention. Weavers help drive new innovation by directly experiencing products or services developed by inventors and providing feedback. Starting this month, some Toyota employees and their families have begun moving in. In the first phase, about 300 people are expected to reside in the city, and general public visits will be possible from 2026 onward.
Chairman Akio Toyoda emphasized, "What we aim to achieve at Woven City is 'Kakezan (Multiplication).' No single company can create meaningful multiplication alone. At least two companies are needed, and the more that join together, the greater the impact."
Since announcing the concept of Woven City at CES 2020, Toyota Group has been preparing for its creation in partnership with other companies. Moving forward, the group plans to conduct future mobility demonstration tests here, with the goal of applying them globally.
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