Toyota's Woven City: A Futuristic Living Laboratory Set to Open in 2025

Toyota builds futuristic city with plans for 2,000 residents | Team-BHP

It will initially start with 100 residents but gradually expand to 2,000 people as part of the initial phases. According to reports, Toyota Motor Corporation has built a futuristic city at the base of Mount Fuji, Japan, called "Woven City". The company now plans to move its first 100 residents as early as this fall. Reports suggest that Woven City will mainly house Toyota's own employees and their families. It will initially start with 100 residents but gradually expand to 2,000 people as part of the initial phases. Akio Toyoda, Chairman of Toyota, stated, "This year, residents will begin to move in as we slowly bring Woven City to life. We aim to accelerate the pace at which new technologies can be tested and developed at Woven City." Toyota first showcased the plans for the Woven City five years ago. The then Toyota President had mentioned that it would be a fully sustainable city, a real-world showcase for artificial intelligence, advanced robotics, self-driving cars and smart homes. Toyoda, recently also stated that the new futuristic city won't be open to the wider public for at least two years and also that it may never be profitable. He stated, "Will this Woven City make Toyota any money? Well, maybe not. As global citizens, I believe Toyota has a responsibility to invest in our collective future." Hajime Kumabe, Chief Executive Officer of Woven, mentioned that he wants the project to be profitable, however, it could be hard to quantify as its innovations would blend into Toyota's carmaking. None of the top officials mentioned how much Toyota has actually spent on building the city, apart from a vague "big investment". Although, Kenta Kon, Woven's CFO, mentioned that Toyoda has invested his own money into the subsidiary.

Toyota aims to open its futuristic city near Mount Fuji this year

Toyota Motor plans to move in the first 100 residents of a futuristic city at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan by as soon as this fall. The initial residents of Woven City will be composed mostly of the carmaker's own employees and their families, and will gradually expand to about 2,000 residents as part of its initial phases, Toyota said Monday. "This year, residents will begin moving in as we slowly bring Woven City to life," Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda said at a news conference at CES in Las Vegas. "We aim to accelerate the pace at which new technologies can be tested and developed at Woven City." Toyoda debuted plans for the "living laboratory" five years ago as Toyota's then-president, saying then it would be a fully sustainable city and real-world showcase for artificial intelligence, advanced robotics, self-driving cars and smart homes. But it won't be open to the wider public for at least two years, and Toyota's chair said it may never be profitable. "Will this Woven City make Toyota any money? Well, maybe not," Toyoda said. "As global citizens, I believe Toyota has a responsibility to invest in our collective future." A key part of Toyota's broader Woven initiative is a new software platform and vehicle operating system it calls Arene, which is designed to speed up car development and lower costs. It plans to deploy the system this year and make it a core component of its next-generation EVs starting in 2026. Toyota appointed a new head of the wholly owned Woven subsidiary in 2023 as part of a shift from a research-heavy focus to become more involved in the production of next-generation vehicles.

Toyota Aims to Open Its Futuristic City in Japan This Year

This year, residents will begin to moving into Woven City Woven City may never be profitable, Toyota expects Toyota plans to deploy software platform Arene soon Toyota Motor Corp. plans to move in the first 100 residents of a futuristic city at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan by as soon as this fall, but declined to specify how much the ambitious project is costing the company. The initial residents of Woven City will be composed mostly of the carmaker's own employees and their families, and will gradually expand to about 2,000 residents as part of its initial phases, Toyota said Monday. "This year, residents will begin to moving in as we slowly bring Woven City to life," Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda said at a press conference at CES in Las Vegas. "We aim to accelerate the pace at which new technologies can be tested and developed at Woven City." Toyoda debuted plans for the "living laboratory" five years ago as Toyota's then-president, saying it would be a fully sustainable city and real-world showcase for artificial intelligence, advanced robotics, self-driving cars and smart homes. Woven City won't be open to the wider public for at least two years and it may never be profitable. "Will this Woven City make Toyota any money? Well, maybe not," Toyoda said. "As global citizens, I believe Toyota has a responsibility to invest in our collective future." Woven's Chief Executive Officer Hajime Kumabe pushed back on that by saying he does want the unit to become profitable, but added that might be hard to quantify as its innovations will blend into its parent's carmaking. Toyota appointed Kumabe as head of the wholly owned Woven subsidiary in 2023 as part of a shift from a research-heavy focus to become more involved in production of next-generation vehicles. Woven's Chief Financial Officer Kenta Kon wouldn't specify how much is being spent on city-building, other than to tell reporters it's a "big investment." He added that Toyota's chair has invested his own money in the subsidiary. A key part of Toyota's broader Woven initiative is a new software platform and vehicle operating system it calls Arene, which is designed to speed up car development and lower costs. It plans to deploy the system this year and make it a core component of its next-generation EVs starting in 2026. Woven City won't be part of the initial deployment of Arena in mass production vehicles, but it will be used eventually at the site, including for mobility functions beyond cars, said John Absmeier, Woven's chief technology officer. © 2025 Bloomberg L.P.

Toyota's AI and Robotics-powered 'Woven City' set to open this year

Japanese automotive giant Toyota plans to open the doors to Woven City this year, a futuristic settlement and living laboratory at the base of the country's iconic Mount Fuji. Toyota plans to move the first 100 residents, primarily the automaker's employees and their families, into the experimental town by the fall of 2025 and gradually expand its population to around 2,000 in the initial phases of the project, the company said on Jan. 6. "This year, residents will begin to move in as we slowly bring Woven City to life," Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda said at the CES tech show in Las Vegas. "We aim to accelerate the pace at which new technologies can be tested and developed at Woven City." Toyoda debuted plans for the so-called "living laboratory" five years ago, stating that it would be a fully sustainable city and a real-world showcase for artificial intelligence, advanced robotics, self-driving cars, and smart homes. However, he said Woven City will not be open to the broader public for at least two years, and it may never be profitable, according to Bloomberg. "Will this Woven City make Toyota any money? Well, maybe not. As global citizens, I believe Toyota has a responsibility to invest in our collective future." Woven's CEO Hajime Kumabe pushed back on Toyoda's comments, stating that he does want the project to become profitable. He added that it might be hard to quantify as its innovations will blend into Toyota's auto production. Meanwhile, Woven's chief financial officer Kenta Kon did not specify how much is being spent on building the futuristic city, other than telling reporters it's a "big investment." Phase 1 of the construction was completed in October 2024. Related: Ford, Toyota double down on blockchain as driverless car tech stagnates A key part of the firm's broader Woven initiatives is a new software platform and vehicle operating system it calls Arene. The software is designed to speed up car development and lower costs and Toyota plans to deploy the system this year and make it a core component of its next-generation electric vehicles starting in 2026.

Toyota Wants 2,000 People To Live In Its City For 'Inventors'

No car company wants to be simply a "car company" anymore. The future -- however far-off that may be -- is about advanced software, electrification, automated driving systems, flying vehicles, personal mobility devices and more. Nowhere is that more apparent than CES, where promises are big but expectations for reality should be tempered. But Toyota says it's making good on one of its biggest promises ever, made at CES five years ago today: the automaker says it has completed the first phase of its $10.13 billion Woven City project and it will launch a scholarship program for startups and individuals seeking to build out their most ambitious ideas there. It's admittedly a bit hard to conceptualize. But in effect, Toyota is building a giant live-in startup accelerator in Japan with a particular emphasis on developing different kinds of autonomous vehicles using a built-in test course. And that seems to be only the start: other technologies Toyota is targeting for development include AI, space rockets, aerial taxis and much, much more. It's big, it's bold and it's not something you'd expect from a car company. But in a roundtable briefing with reporters following a press conference at CES 2025, Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda said that's exactly the point. "Here at CES, I declared that we're going to transform Toyota into a mobility company," Toyoda said. "It took five years to reach this Phase One that we've announced today. We are standing here at our starting point." The starting point is what Toyota calls a "test course for mobility" due to open this fall. But Toyoda and his team admitted that nobody is quite sure exactly what a "mobility company" is or does, exactly. And that's part of why the company hopes up to 2,000 people will reside there eventually to help develop future technologies in four distinct areas: energy, mobility, people and energy. "It's an opportunity to weave together diverse point of view, talents and abilities, to create new kind of fabric for our future, a future where we hope not to only move people, but move hearts," Toyoda said in a news conference. Located at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan -- although Toyoda said the mountain is only visible for a few months each year -- Woven City will be a sprawling campus across 175 acres dedicated to the development of future technologies. And starting this summer, Toyota will begin taking applications from companies and individuals "who need financial support to bring their ideas to life." Several "inventors," as Toyota calls these partner companies, have already signed up to develop technology there. They include Japan's Daikin Industries, Ltd., the air-conditioning giant; coffee company UCC Japan Co. Ltd; and instant food giant Nissin Food Products. "We are going to start taking applications and we've already entertained over 6,000 inquiries," said John Absmeier, the CTO of Woven by Toyota, the automaker's next-generation technology subsidiary. "It's definitely not just Japanese nationals. It's multinational population." Absmeier said that the first parties to join will be Toyota Group employees, followed by startup employees, academics and the broader public. "We want invite individuals, but also maybe earlier stage companies that have an idea, that have the passion, a good idea and a business plan, but maybe don't have the capital." He added that those companies will "come into the city and make [their ideas] more mature." Absmeier said that Woven City members will have to have some kind of residence status in Japan and could live there for one or two years. The project is especially prioritizing those interested in "achieving zero fatalities by traffic accidents, which is, a big goal of Toyota." Perhaps to the chagrin of Toyota's board and investors, Toyoda insisted the point is not to "make money" with Woven City but to create technologies that make the world better. "At Woven City, we are trying to have a project that will never be completed," Toyoda said. "That's because we are trying to create the future. The purpose of this project is not to make money."