Five years ago, Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda went to CES to share with the world his “personal field of dreams – a plan to build a prototype city on a 175-acre site at the foot of Mount Fuji in Japan, where people would live and work amongst all of Toyota’s projects, including autonomous vehicle technology, robotics, smart home-connected technology, and AI.
Toyoda will return to the annual tech trade show in Las Vegas this year to finally reveal his “living laboratory” called Woven City. The Toyota press conference, in which Chairman Toyoda will have a starring role, will be held at 1 p.m. PT/4 p.m. ET on January 6 during CES media day.
Toyota’s CES 2025 press conference: How to watch
In a video that teases the upcoming showcase, Toyoda dons a hard hat and safety vest as he heads into a modern multi-story building. He arrives on an upper floor and then removes the protective covering of the window, revealing Mount Fuji in the background and exclaiming “Welcome to Woven City!”
The presentation will be live streamed on the company’s website.
Details are slim about exactly what will be revealed. The Tech Spot , which was at the initial announcement in 2020, will be watching to see how startups will be incorporated into Woven City and whether Toyota followed through on its plans to build a fully connected ecosystem powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
Toyota researches and tests robotics, material science, automated driving and alternative fuel technology in labs all around the world. Now the automaker is trying a new and far more ambitious project: build a prototype city on a 175-acre site at the foot of Mount Fuji in Japan, where people will live and work amongst all of Toyota’s projects, including its autonomous e-Palette shuttles and robots.
This won’t be another test site, Toyota Motor Corp President Akio Toyoda said Monday during a press conference ahead of CES 2020. Construction on the first phase of the city — which will be designed by acclaimed Danish architect Bjarke Ingels — will begin in 2021. His firm, Ingels Group (BIG) has designed high-profile projects such as 2 World Trade Center in New York, the Lego House in Denmark and Google’s Mountain View and London headquarters.
This is a passion project of Toyoda’s, several executives said after the press conference. And it was evident on stage.
It’s my personal fields of dreams,” Toyoda said. “If they build it, they will come.
“Imagine a fully controlled site that will allow researchers, engineers and scientists the opportunity to freely test technology such as autonomy, mobility-as-a-service, robotics, smart home-connected technology, AI and more, in a real-world environment,” Toyoda said.
This so-called Woven City will be a fully connected ecosystem powered by hydrogen fuel cells, according to Toyota.
The homes will be equipped with human support technologies, such as in-home robotics to assist with daily living. Sensor-based AI will be sprinkled throughout to be able to check on occupants’ health and take care of basic needs.
Forget driving around a Toyota Camry or even Prius on the main streets there. Only fully-autonomous, zero-emission vehicles will be allowed on the main thoroughfares, according to the company.
Autonomous Toyota e-Palettes will be used for transportation and deliveries as well as for changeable mobile retail.
