Construction of a "futuristic city" that Toyota Motor Corporation is developing at the foot of Mt. Fuji began on the 23rd.
We will embark on a town development business with cutting-edge technologies such as autonomous driving and AI that we have accumulated so far.
Toyota Motor plans to create a futuristic city named "Woven City" on a vast site of 700,000 square meters centered on the former factory site in Susono City, Shizuoka Prefecture, which is about 15 times larger than the Tokyo Dome.
At the planned construction site, President Akio Toyoda and Governor Kawakatsu of Shizuoka Prefecture prayed for the safety of the construction today on February 23, at the pun of Mt. Fuji nearby.
The concept that Toyota has revealed so far is that the roads on the ground are dedicated roads for fully autonomous vehicles and roads for pedestrians, and pedestrians and small single-seater vehicles. In addition to dividing into three types of roads that come and go, the underpass will be dedicated to the distribution of goods and will be verified for safety and efficiency.
At first, 360 people, including the elderly and inventors, live in the house, where AI checks the data on the health of the residents collected by sensors and robots help people in their lives.
In addition, self-driving cars will be used not only for picking up people but also for delivering luggage and as mobile stores, and will incorporate a mechanism that connects cars, infrastructure, and housing through an advanced communication network.
On the other hand, it means repeating development and experiment without setting a specific completion time.
In addition to the autonomous driving and AI technologies that Toyota has accumulated in the field of automobiles, Toyota will fully embark on the next-generation community development business while utilizing the technologies of other companies that cooperate in development.
Positioned as the next-generation main business
This futuristic city is positioned as the main business of Toyota's next generation, with President Akio Toyoda investing in a group company that also handles the business.
In the automobile industry, services such as autonomous driving and car sharing are being created one after another, and IT companies are also entering the industry, which is said to be a period of change once every 100 years.
The key for automobile manufacturers is not only to make cars, but also to provide what kind of services centered on cars by combining communication technologies.
Through this project, Toyota wants to develop new services and technologies in fields such as transportation / communication infrastructure, energy, and living, as well as services related to automobiles.
In addition, we aim to extend that know-how to next-generation town development = so-called smart cities, which are being promoted around the world, and expand as a new business that transcends the boundaries of automobile manufacturers.
The smart city business utilizing digital technology is being carried out in Europe, the United States, China and other countries around the world, and major IT companies such as Alibaba in China are also participating.
According to Toyota, about 3,000 companies and individuals have offered to cooperate in this project, and we hope to help solve various social issues such as the declining birthrate and aging population, traffic congestion, and global warming.
Governor Kawakatsu of Shizuoka Prefecture "City planning to create peace"
Governor Kawakatsu of Shizuoka Prefecture said in another event to celebrate "Mt. Fuji Day" in Gotemba City, about Toyota Motor's "future city" project, "This is a city development that creates peace. Is doing business. I think that the fact that the squeeze ceremony was held on Mt. Fuji day while being watched over by beautiful Mt. Fuji might have added flowers to Mt. Fuji day. " did.