Toyota is set to begin relocating the first 100 residences to its innovative Woven City, located at the base of Japan’s Mount Fuji.
Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda revealed the plans to move people into a living laboratory full of startups and technology at CES 2025. He said his vision for Woven City is to be a prototype city that is searching for businesses and inventors.
“Today, I say to anyone in any corner of the world, inspired or excited to make a difference. Make a change or make it count. Please consider this your official invitation to join us at Woven City,” Toyoda said onstage.
Toyoda said they are planning the launch for Spring 2025 or shortly after.
Toyoda first shared his plans for the city five years ago at CES 2020, when the plan was to build a utopian city of sorts where people would live among Toyota’s projects, including its autonomous e-Pallette shuttles and robots.
The idea has since expanded. As Toyoda addressed the crowd, he touched on electric air taxis, specifically mentioning Joby Aviation which recently invested US$500 million into autonomous vehicle tech and rockets.
Woven City has made a seven billion yen (US$44 million) investment into startup Interstallar Technologies Inc. and will leverage Toyota’s to support the mass production of rockets.
The smart city is expected to invest over US$10 billion into eco-friendly “smart” homes constructed from wood, powered primarily by hydrangea and equipped with solar panels.
Despite the ambitious plans, Toyoda revealed he is unsure whether the Woven City will make Toyota any money.
““I know what you are thinking with this Woven City, will make Toyota any money? Well, maybe not, but that’s okay, because as global citizens, I believe Toyota has a responsibility to invest in our collective future, to share what we’ve learned with others, and support new ideas,” he said.
The city may also remain closed to the public for at least two years. Phase 1 of the city will only be open to Toyota employees and their families and is projected to accommodate around 360 residents and Phase 2 and subsequent phases are expected to accommodate around 2,000 people.
Confirmed inventors of Woven City include Daikin Industries, DyDo DRINCO, Nissin Food Products, UCC Japan Co. and Zoshinkai Holdings.