It was from the stage of the CES 2025 in Las Vegas that Toyota Motor Corporation Chairman Akio Toyoda announced the completion of building construction at Toyota Woven City – from the very spot where in 2018, he declared Toyota’s goal to transform into a mobility company, and in 2020, shared with the world his intention to develop Woven City, a test course for mobility.
After a groundbreaking in 2021, buildings for the first phase of the project were completed in October 2024, and we have been busy preparing for the official launch planned for the fall of 2025, which will see the first residents move in.
“For me, at its core, Woven City is about collaboration… it’s about the opportunity to weave together diverse points of view, talents and abilities… to create a new kind of fabric for our future – a future where we hope to not only move people… but move hearts,” said chairman Toyoda at the CES press conference on January 7.
Our intention is for Woven City to become a place of collaboration between Inventors and Weavers (as the visitors and residents to Woven City are called) who will co-create services, products and technologies moved by the idea of “working for someone other than themselves.”
At Woven City, Weavers will use and experience the products and services developed by Inventors in various places, including The Kakezan Invention Hub, Underground Streets, and The Courtyard.
The “Kakezan Invention Hub” creates “invention by multiplication.” It aims to create new value, products, and services that cannot be created by one company or one person but by “multiplying” Toyota’s strengths with those of other industries.
Here, Inventors’ products will be on display, and Weavers will see the actual products and exchange opinions. The products won’t be finished products, but rather hypothetical or prototype products, which will allow Inventors to accelerate their development by receiving immediate and ongoing feedback from Weavers. We also plan to hold events where Inventors can interact with each other and with Weavers.
In Woven City, the city environment above ground includes three types of streets: pedestrian streets, streets where pedestrians and personal mobility coexist, and streets dedicated to automated mobility. In addition, a fourth type of street is the “logistics street” and will run underground.
Thanks to these Underground Streets, logistics demonstrations that include an automated delivery function can be conducted regardless of weather and other environmental conditions. We will use Digital Twin technology, one of Woven City’s mechanisms to explore and design the future of logistics services. A Digital Twin digitally reproduces the real world based on collected data and allows for digital simulations to be reflected in the real world to obtain feedback, which is in turn fed back into the digital world to improve accuracy.
The Courtyard is where Inventors and Weavers will meet. Weavers will play a key role in creating value in Woven City, using the products and services developed by Inventors and providing feedback. For example, Inventors can use the e-Palette as a platform and for testing. Used as a café, it serves coffee and snacks to Weavers and Weavers provide feedback on its service.
On February 22, 2025, we held a Phase 1 completion ceremony at the Kakezan Invention Hub to express its gratitude to Obayashi Corporation, Nikken Sekkei Ltd., and others involved in the construction, as well as to the local community and everyone involved in the automotive and other industries.
Chairman Toyoda delivered the following remarks:
“Hello, I’m Akio Toyoda.
Today, as we celebrate the building completion of Phase 1 of Woven City, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the city of Susono, Shizuoka Prefecture, the local community, and everyone involved for their tremendous support and cooperation.
In the past, the Higashi Fuji Plant of Toyota Motor East Japan stood here.
In 2018, when we made the decision to close that plant, I had the opportunity to have direct conversations with the colleagues who worked there.
During that interaction, I felt their thoughts about the colleagues who could not move to TMEJ’s other plants in Tohoku due to various circumstances, the pride of having continued to make cars in this area, and their gratitude to the local people. Each of them shared their feelings with me as best as they could.
Seeing their faces and touching their emotions, I vowed in my heart, ‘I want to make this place a sacred site that contributes to the creation of future mobility.’
Woven City will not be built on vacant land.
It will be a city that stands on the aspirations of those who have worked for half a century in the automotive industry and the community. To put it in my own words, it is ‘the dream of car makers.’
Seven years have passed since then, and my vision is becoming a reality through the efforts of many people.
The Bjarke Ingels Group has created a dream-like concept design.
Nikken Sekkei has been involved from the initial stages to bring that design to life.
Sumitomo Mitsui Construction has worked hard on the volcanic stone excavation and successfully completed the site development.
And Obayashi Corporation has realized the construction work, which involved 420,000 people and 3.4 million hours, with ‘zero accidents.’
I have heard that the members of Nikken Sekkei and Obayashi Corporation who are present here today worked diligently until the very end to accommodate our design changes.
I sincerely appreciate the shared vision of ‘well-being for all,’ the determination and passion of everyone who resonated with our vision to ‘achieve this at all costs,’ and the kind hearts that wish for’the happiness of someone other than themselves.’
Without these qualities, we would not have seen the scenery we have here today.
I am deeply grateful. Thank you very much.
Woven City is an ever evolving ‘eternally unfinished city’ and a ‘test course for future mobility.’
From this place, I hope that future mobility will emerge, leading everyone to say, ‘I’m glad there is Woven City.’
I promise to continue moving forward toward the future together with those who share the same aspirations.
Thank you very much for today.”
SOURCE: Toyota
