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On Sat, 22 Feb, 4:01 PM UTC
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[1]
Rich in cash, Japan automaker Toyota builds city to test futuristic mobility
Woven City near Mount Fuji is where Japanese automaker Toyota plans to test everyday living with robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous zero-emissions transportation. Daisuke Toyoda, an executive in charge of the project from the automaker's founding family, stressed it's not "a smart city." "We're making a test course for mobility so that's a little bit different. We're not a real estate developer," he said Saturday during a tour of the facility, where the first phase of construction was completed. The Associated Press was the first foreign media to get a preview of the $10 billion Woven City. The first phase spans 47,000 square meters (506,000 square feet), roughly the size of about five baseball fields. When completed, it will be 294,000 square meters (3.1 million square feet). Built on the grounds of a shuttered Toyota Motor Corp. auto plant, it's meant to be a place where researchers and startups come together to share ideas, according to Toyoda. Ambitious plans for futuristic cities have sputtered or are unfinished, including one proposed by Google's parent company Alphabet in Toronto; "Neom" in Saudi Arabia; a project near San Francisco, spearheaded by a former Goldman Sachs trader, and Masdar City next to Abu Dhabi's airport. Woven City's construction began in 2021. All the buildings are connected by underground passageways, where autonomous vehicles will scuttle around collecting garbage and making deliveries. No one is living there yet. The first residents will total just 100 people. Called "weavers," they're workers at Toyota and partner companies, including instant noodle maker Nissin and Daikin, which manufactures air-conditioners. Coffee maker UCC was serving hot drinks from an autonomous-drive bus, parked in a square surrounded by still-empty apartment complexes. The city's name honors Toyota's beginnings as a maker of automatic textile looms. Sakichi Toyoda, Daisuke Toyoda's great-great-grandfather, just wanted to make life easier for his mother, who toiled on a manual loom. There was little talk of using electric vehicles, an area where Toyota has lagged. While Tesla and Byd emerged as big EV players, Toyota has been pushing hydrogen, the energy of choice in Woven City. Toyota officials acknowledged it doesn't expect to make money from Woven City, at least not for years. Keisuke Konishi, auto analyst at Quick Corporate Valuation Research Center, believes Toyota wants to work on robotic rides to rival Google's Waymo -- even if it means building an entire complex.
[2]
Rich in cash, Japan automaker Toyota builds a city to test futuristic mobility
Woven City near Mount Fuji is where Japanese automaker Toyota plans to test everyday living with robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous zero-emissions transportation. Daisuke Toyoda, an executive in charge of the project from the automaker's founding family, stressed it's not "a smart city." "We're making a test course for mobility so that's a little bit different. We're not a real estate developer," he said Saturday during a tour of the facility, where the first phase of construction was completed. The Associated Press was the first foreign media to get a preview of the $10 billion Woven City. The first phase spans 47,000 square meters (506,000 square feet), roughly the size of about five baseball fields. When completed, it will be 294,000 square meters (3.1 million square feet). Built on the grounds of a shuttered Toyota Motor Corp. auto plant, it's meant to be a place where researchers and startups come together to share ideas, according to Toyoda. Ambitious plans for futuristic cities have sputtered or are unfinished, including one proposed by Google's parent company Alphabet in Toronto; "Neom" in Saudi Arabia; a project near San Francisco, spearheaded by a former Goldman Sachs trader, and Masdar City next to Abu Dhabi's airport. Woven City's construction began in 2021. All the buildings are connected by underground passageways, where autonomous vehicles will scuttle around collecting garbage and making deliveries. No one is living there yet. The first residents will total just 100 people. Called "weavers," they're workers at Toyota and partner companies, including instant noodle maker Nissin and Daikin, which manufactures air-conditioners. Coffee maker UCC was serving hot drinks from an autonomous-drive bus, parked in a square surrounded by still-empty apartment complexes. The city's name honors Toyota's beginnings as a maker of automatic textile looms. Sakichi Toyoda, Daisuke Toyoda's great-great-grandfather, just wanted to make life easier for his mother, who toiled on a manual loom. There was little talk of using electric vehicles, an area where Toyota has lagged. While Tesla and Byd emerged as big EV players, Toyota has been pushing hydrogen, the energy of choice in Woven City. Toyota officials acknowledged it doesn't expect to make money from Woven City, at least not for years. Keisuke Konishi, auto analyst at Quick Corporate Valuation Research Center, believes Toyota wants to work on robotic rides to rival Google's Waymo -- even if it means building an entire complex. "Toyota has the money to do all that," he said. © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
[3]
Rich in cash, Japan automaker Toyota builds a city to test futuristic mobility
SUSONO, Japan (AP) -- Woven City near Mount Fuji is where Japanese automaker Toyota plans to test everyday living with robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous zero-emissions transportation. Daisuke Toyoda, an executive in charge of the project from the automaker's founding family, stressed it's not "a smart city." "We're making a test course for mobility so that's a little bit different. We're not a real estate developer," he said Saturday during a tour of the facility, where the first phase of construction was completed. The Associated Press was the first foreign media to get a preview of the $10 billion Woven City. The first phase spans 47,000 square meters (506,000 square feet), roughly the size of about five baseball fields. When completed, it will be 294,000 square meters (3.1 million square feet). Built on the grounds of a shuttered Toyota Motor Corp. auto plant, it's meant to be a place where researchers and startups come together to share ideas, according to Toyoda. Ambitious plans for futuristic cities have sputtered or are unfinished, including one proposed by Google's parent company Alphabet in Toronto; "Neom" in Saudi Arabia; a project near San Francisco, spearheaded by a former Goldman Sachs trader, and Masdar City next to Abu Dhabi's airport. Woven City's construction began in 2021. All the buildings are connected by underground passageways, where autonomous vehicles will scuttle around collecting garbage and making deliveries. No one is living there yet. The first residents will total just 100 people. Called "weavers," they're workers at Toyota and partner companies, including instant noodle maker Nissin and Daikin, which manufactures air-conditioners. Coffee maker UCC was serving hot drinks from an autonomous-drive bus, parked in a square surrounded by still-empty apartment complexes. The city's name honors Toyota's beginnings as a maker of automatic textile looms. Sakichi Toyoda, Daisuke Toyoda's great-great-grandfather, just wanted to make life easier for his mother, who toiled on a manual loom. There was little talk of using electric vehicles, an area where Toyota has lagged. While Tesla and Byd emerged as big EV players, Toyota has been pushing hydrogen, the energy of choice in Woven City. Toyota officials acknowledged it doesn't expect to make money from Woven City, at least not for years. Keisuke Konishi, auto analyst at Quick Corporate Valuation Research Center, believes Toyota wants to work on robotic rides to rival Google's Waymo -- even if it means building an entire complex.
[4]
Rich in cash, Japanese automaker Toyota builds a city to test futuristic mobility
SUSONO, Japan -- Woven City near Mount Fuji is where Japanese automaker Toyota plans to test everyday living with robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous zero-emissions transportation. Daisuke Toyoda, an executive in charge of the project from the automaker's founding family, stressed it's not "a smart city." "We're making a test course for mobility so that's a little bit different. We're not a real estate developer," he said Saturday during a tour of the facility, where the first phase of construction was completed. The Associated Press was the first foreign media to get a preview of the $10 billion Woven City. The first phase spans 47,000 square meters (506,000 square feet), roughly the size of about five baseball fields. When completed, it will be 294,000 square meters (3.1 million square feet). Built on the grounds of a shuttered Toyota Motor Corp. auto plant, it's meant to be a place where researchers and startups come together to share ideas, according to Toyoda. Ambitious plans for futuristic cities have sputtered or are unfinished, including one proposed by Google's parent company Alphabet in Toronto; "Neom" in Saudi Arabia; a project near San Francisco, spearheaded by a former Goldman Sachs trader, and Masdar City next to Abu Dhabi's airport. Woven City's construction began in 2021. All the buildings are connected by underground passageways, where autonomous vehicles will scuttle around collecting garbage and making deliveries. No one is living there yet. The first residents will total just 100 people. Called "weavers," they're workers at Toyota and partner companies, including instant noodle maker Nissin and Daikin, which manufactures air-conditioners. Coffee maker UCC was serving hot drinks from an autonomous-drive bus, parked in a square surrounded by still-empty apartment complexes. The city's name honors Toyota's beginnings as a maker of automatic textile looms. Sakichi Toyoda, Daisuke Toyoda's great-great-grandfather, just wanted to make life easier for his mother, who toiled on a manual loom. There was little talk of using electric vehicles, an area where Toyota has lagged. While Tesla and Byd emerged as big EV players, Toyota has been pushing hydrogen, the energy of choice in Woven City. Toyota officials acknowledged it doesn't expect to make money from Woven City, at least not for years. Keisuke Konishi, auto analyst at Quick Corporate Valuation Research Center, believes Toyota wants to work on robotic rides to rival Google's Waymo -- even if it means building an entire complex.
[5]
Rich in Cash, Japan Automaker Toyota Builds a City to Test Futuristic Mobility
SUSONO, Japan (AP) -- Woven City near Mount Fuji is where Japanese automaker Toyota plans to test everyday living with robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous zero-emissions transportation. Daisuke Toyoda, an executive in charge of the project from the automaker's founding family, stressed it's not "a smart city." "We're making a test course for mobility so that's a little bit different. We're not a real estate developer," he said Saturday during a tour of the facility, where the first phase of construction was completed. The Associated Press was the first foreign media to get a preview of the $10 billion Woven City. The first phase spans 47,000 square meters (506,000 square feet), roughly the size of about five baseball fields. When completed, it will be 294,000 square meters (3.1 million square feet). Built on the grounds of a shuttered Toyota Motor Corp. auto plant, it's meant to be a place where researchers and startups come together to share ideas, according to Toyoda. Ambitious plans for futuristic cities have sputtered or are unfinished, including one proposed by Google's parent company Alphabet in Toronto; "Neom" in Saudi Arabia; a project near San Francisco, spearheaded by a former Goldman Sachs trader, and Masdar City next to Abu Dhabi's airport. Woven City's construction began in 2021. All the buildings are connected by underground passageways, where autonomous vehicles will scuttle around collecting garbage and making deliveries. No one is living there yet. The first residents will total just 100 people. Called "weavers," they're workers at Toyota and partner companies, including instant noodle maker Nissin and Daikin, which manufactures air-conditioners. Coffee maker UCC was serving hot drinks from an autonomous-drive bus, parked in a square surrounded by still-empty apartment complexes. The city's name honors Toyota's beginnings as a maker of automatic textile looms. Sakichi Toyoda, Daisuke Toyoda's great-great-grandfather, just wanted to make life easier for his mother, who toiled on a manual loom. There was little talk of using electric vehicles, an area where Toyota has lagged. While Tesla and Byd emerged as big EV players, Toyota has been pushing hydrogen, the energy of choice in Woven City. Toyota officials acknowledged it doesn't expect to make money from Woven City, at least not for years. Keisuke Konishi, auto analyst at Quick Corporate Valuation Research Center, believes Toyota wants to work on robotic rides to rival Google's Waymo -- even if it means building an entire complex. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
[6]
Rich in cash, Japan automaker Toyota builds a city to test futuristic mobility
SUSONO, Japan (AP) -- Woven City near Mount Fuji is where Japanese automaker Toyota plans to test everyday living with robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous zero-emissions transportation. Daisuke Toyoda, an executive in charge of the project from the automaker's founding family, stressed it's not "a smart city." "We're making a test course for mobility so that's a little bit different. We're not a real estate developer," he said Saturday during a tour of the facility, where the first phase of construction was completed. The Associated Press was the first foreign media to get a preview of the $10 billion Woven City. The first phase spans 47,000 square meters (506,000 square feet), roughly the size of about five baseball fields. When completed, it will be 294,000 square meters (3.1 million square feet). Built on the grounds of a shuttered Toyota Motor Corp. auto plant, it's meant to be a place where researchers and startups come together to share ideas, according to Toyoda. Ambitious plans for futuristic cities have sputtered or are unfinished, including one proposed by Google's parent company Alphabet in Toronto; "Neom" in Saudi Arabia; a project near San Francisco, spearheaded by a former Goldman Sachs trader, and Masdar City next to Abu Dhabi's airport. Woven City's construction began in 2021. All the buildings are connected by underground passageways, where autonomous vehicles will scuttle around collecting garbage and making deliveries. No one is living there yet. The first residents will total just 100 people. Called "weavers," they're workers at Toyota and partner companies, including instant noodle maker Nissin and Daikin, which manufactures air-conditioners. Coffee maker UCC was serving hot drinks from an autonomous-drive bus, parked in a square surrounded by still-empty apartment complexes. The city's name honors Toyota's beginnings as a maker of automatic textile looms. Sakichi Toyoda, Daisuke Toyoda's great-great-grandfather, just wanted to make life easier for his mother, who toiled on a manual loom. There was little talk of using electric vehicles, an area where Toyota has lagged. While Tesla and Byd emerged as big EV players, Toyota has been pushing hydrogen, the energy of choice in Woven City. Toyota officials acknowledged it doesn't expect to make money from Woven City, at least not for years.
[7]
Rich in cash, Japan automaker Toyota builds a city to test futuristic mobility
SUSONO, Japan (AP) -- Woven City near Mount Fuji is where Japanese automaker Toyota plans to test everyday living with robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous zero-emissions transportation. Daisuke Toyoda, an executive in charge of the project from the automaker's founding family, stressed it's not "a smart city." "We're making a test course for mobility so that's a little bit different. We're not a real estate developer," he said Saturday during a tour of the facility, where the first phase of construction was completed. The Associated Press was the first foreign media to get a preview of the US$10 billion Woven City. The first phase spans 47,000 square metres (506,000 square feet), roughly the size of about five baseball fields. When completed, it will be 294,000 square metres (3.1 million square feet). Built on the grounds of a shuttered Toyota Motor Corp. auto plant, it's meant to be a place where researchers and startups come together to share ideas, according to Toyoda. Ambitious plans for futuristic cities have sputtered or are unfinished, including one proposed by Google's parent company Alphabet in Toronto; "Neom" in Saudi Arabia; a project near San Francisco, spearheaded by a former Goldman Sachs trader, and Masdar City next to Abu Dhabi's airport. Woven City's construction began in 2021. All the buildings are connected by underground passageways, where autonomous vehicles will scuttle around collecting garbage and making deliveries. No one is living there yet. The first residents will total just 100 people. Called "weavers," they're workers at Toyota and partner companies, including instant noodle maker Nissin and Daikin, which manufactures air-conditioners. Coffee maker UCC was serving hot drinks from an autonomous-drive bus, parked in a square surrounded by still-empty apartment complexes. The city's name honors Toyota's beginnings as a maker of automatic textile looms. Sakichi Toyoda, Daisuke Toyoda's great-great-grandfather, just wanted to make life easier for his mother, who toiled on a manual loom. There was little talk of using electric vehicles, an area where Toyota has lagged. While Tesla and Byd emerged as big EV players, Toyota has been pushing hydrogen, the energy of choice in Woven City. Toyota officials acknowledged it doesn't expect to make money from Woven City, at least not for years. Keisuke Konishi, auto analyst at Quick Corporate Valuation Research Center, believes Toyota wants to work on robotic rides to rival Google's Waymo -- even if it means building an entire complex.
[8]
Rich in cash, Japan automaker Toyota builds a city to test futuristic mobility
SUSONO, Japan (AP) -- Woven City near Mount Fuji is where Japanese automaker Toyota plans to test everyday living with robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous zero-emissions transportation. Daisuke Toyoda, an executive in charge of the project from the automaker's founding family, stressed it's not "a smart city." "We're making a test course for mobility so that's a little bit different. We're not a real estate developer," he said Saturday during a tour of the facility, where the first phase of construction was completed. The Associated Press was the first foreign media to get a preview of the $10 billion Woven City. The first phase spans 47,000 square meters (506,000 square feet), roughly the size of about five baseball fields. When completed, it will be 294,000 square meters (3.1 million square feet). Built on the grounds of a shuttered Toyota Motor Corp. auto plant, it's meant to be a place where researchers and startups come together to share ideas, according to Toyoda. Ambitious plans for futuristic cities have sputtered or are unfinished, including one proposed by Google's parent company Alphabet in Toronto; "Neom" in Saudi Arabia; a project near San Francisco, spearheaded by a former Goldman Sachs trader, and Masdar City next to Abu Dhabi's airport. Woven City's construction began in 2021. All the buildings are connected by underground passageways, where autonomous vehicles will scuttle around collecting garbage and making deliveries. No one is living there yet. The first residents will total just 100 people. Called "weavers," they're workers at Toyota and partner companies, including instant noodle maker Nissin and Daikin, which manufactures air-conditioners. Coffee maker UCC was serving hot drinks from an autonomous-drive bus, parked in a square surrounded by still-empty apartment complexes. The city's name honors Toyota's beginnings as a maker of automatic textile looms. Sakichi Toyoda, Daisuke Toyoda's great-great-grandfather, just wanted to make life easier for his mother, who toiled on a manual loom. There was little talk of using electric vehicles, an area where Toyota has lagged. While Tesla and Byd emerged as big EV players, Toyota has been pushing hydrogen, the energy of choice in Woven City. Toyota officials acknowledged it doesn't expect to make money from Woven City, at least not for years. Keisuke Konishi, auto analyst at Quick Corporate Valuation Research Center, believes Toyota wants to work on robotic rides to rival Google's Waymo -- even if it means building an entire complex. Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@yurikageyama
[9]
Rich in cash, Japan automaker Toyota builds city to test futuristic mobility
Susono: Woven City near Mount Fuji is where Japanese automaker Toyota plans to test everyday living with robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous zero-emissions transportation. Daisuke Toyoda, an executive in charge of the project from the automaker's founding family, stressed it's not "a smart city." "We're making a test course for mobility so that's a little bit different. We're not a real estate developer," he said Saturday during a tour of the facility, where the first phase of construction was completed. The Associated Press was the first foreign media to get a preview of the USD 10 billion Woven City. The first phase spans 47,000 square metres, roughly the size of about five baseball fields. When completed, it will be 2,94,000 square metres. Built on the grounds of a shuttered Toyota Motor Corp auto plant, it's meant to be a place where researchers and startups come together to share ideas, according to Toyoda. Ambitious plans for futuristic cities have sputtered or are unfinished, including one proposed by Google's parent company Alphabet in Toronto; "Neom" in Saudi Arabia; a project near San Francisco, spearheaded by a former Goldman Sachs trader, and Masdar City next to Abu Dhabi's airport. Woven City's construction began in 2021. All the buildings are connected by underground passageways, where autonomous vehicles will scuttle around collecting garbage and making deliveries. No one is living there yet. The first residents will total just 100 people. Called "weavers," they're workers at Toyota and partner companies, including instant noodle maker Nissin and Daikin, which manufactures air-conditioners. Coffee maker UCC was serving hot drinks from an autonomous-drive bus, parked in a square surrounded by still-empty apartment complexes. The city's name honours Toyota's beginnings as a maker of automatic textile looms. Sakichi Toyoda, Daisuke Toyoda's great-great-grandfather, just wanted to make life easier for his mother, who toiled on a manual loom. There was little talk of using electric vehicles, an area where Toyota has lagged. While Tesla and Byd emerged as big EV players, Toyota has been pushing hydrogen, the energy of choice in Woven City. Toyota officials acknowledged it doesn't expect to make money from Woven City, at least not for years. Keisuke Konishi, auto analyst at Quick Corporate Valuation Research Centre, believes Toyota wants to work on robotic rides to rival Google's Waymo - even if it means building an entire complex. "Toyota has the money to do all that," he said.
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Toyota unveils Woven City, a $10 billion project near Mount Fuji, designed to test cutting-edge technologies including AI, robotics, and autonomous vehicles in a real-world setting.
Japanese automaker Toyota has taken a bold step into the future with the unveiling of Woven City, a $10 billion project near Mount Fuji designed to test cutting-edge technologies in a real-world setting. The ambitious initiative aims to explore everyday living with robotics, artificial intelligence, and autonomous zero-emissions transportation 1.
Daisuke Toyoda, an executive from the automaker's founding family overseeing the project, emphasizes that Woven City is not a typical "smart city." Instead, it's conceived as a "test course for mobility," distinguishing itself from real estate development projects 2.
The first phase of Woven City spans 47,000 square meters (506,000 square feet), equivalent to about five baseball fields. Upon completion, the city will expand to 294,000 square meters (3.1 million square feet). Built on the grounds of a former Toyota Motor Corp. auto plant, the facility is designed to foster collaboration between researchers and startups 3.
Construction of Woven City began in 2021, featuring interconnected buildings linked by underground passageways. These subterranean corridors will host autonomous vehicles for tasks such as garbage collection and deliveries. The city's first residents, limited to 100 people and dubbed "weavers," will be employees of Toyota and partner companies like Nissin and Daikin 4.
The city's name pays homage to Toyota's origins as a manufacturer of automatic textile looms. This connection traces back to Sakichi Toyoda, Daisuke Toyoda's great-great-grandfather, who sought to ease the burden of manual loom work for his mother 5.
While electric vehicles were not prominently featured in the Woven City plans, Toyota continues to champion hydrogen as the primary energy source for the project. This aligns with the company's broader strategy, even as competitors like Tesla and BYD have made significant strides in the electric vehicle market 1.
Toyota acknowledges that Woven City is not expected to generate immediate profits. However, industry analysts like Keisuke Konishi from Quick Corporate Valuation Research Center suggest that the project may be Toyota's avenue to develop robotic ride technology to compete with initiatives like Google's Waymo 2.
Woven City joins a list of ambitious futuristic city projects, many of which have faced setbacks or remain incomplete. Notable examples include Alphabet's proposal in Toronto, Saudi Arabia's "Neom," and Masdar City near Abu Dhabi's airport. Toyota's financial strength positions it uniquely to pursue such an extensive and long-term project 3.
Reference
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[5]
U.S. News & World Report
|Rich in Cash, Japan Automaker Toyota Builds a City to Test Futuristic MobilityToyota is launching Woven City, a futuristic experimental town at the base of Mount Fuji, designed to showcase and develop advanced technologies including AI, robotics, and autonomous vehicles.
5 Sources
5 Sources
Nissan is conducting tests of driverless vehicles on city streets in Japan, showcasing the country's efforts to advance in autonomous driving technology. The tests highlight Japan's push to compete with global leaders in the field.
7 Sources
7 Sources
Alphabet's Waymo announces plans to test its self-driving cars in Tokyo, marking its first international expansion. The company will partner with local firms to map key areas and adapt its AI systems to Japan's unique driving conditions.
5 Sources
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Toyota Motor and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) have agreed to jointly invest $3.3 billion by 2030 to develop an AI-powered mobility platform aimed at reducing traffic accidents and advancing autonomous driving technology.
4 Sources
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Nvidia announces partnerships with major automakers and tech companies to develop advanced autonomous vehicle technologies using its AI and computing platforms.
11 Sources
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