Toyota reveals ambitious plan for the future

As Japan’s largest manufacturer, Toyota was front and centre at the country’s motor show. But it took a very different approach that could point to the future.

Toyota’s semi-autonomous e-RACER

The all-new Toyota Yaris hatch was revealed at the Tokyo motor show, but you didn’t get to see it. It was nowhere to be found on the brand’s expansive show stand; you had to travel to a nearby shopping centre for a peek.

Instead the stand, themed Mobility For All, was about Toyota transforming from a car maker to the broader defintion of a “mobility company”.

Toyota has unveiled a new Yaris hatchback.

It will still make and sell cars, but will expand its horizons to embrace artificial intelligence, electrification and automation.

As a main sponsor of next year’s Tokyo Olympics the brand chose the motor show to showcase its electrified future, AI, robotics and automation.

Alongside a humanoid mimicking your movements and a water-delivering wheeled robot, there were futuristic four-wheeled, human-carrying vehicles too.

Most relevant for the Olympics and Paralympics was the e-Palette, a self-driving electric van that can transport up to 20 standing athletes or 4 wheelchair athletes around the Olympic village.

Toyota’s semi-autonomous e-RACER

Personal transport was covered by the e-4me, another autonomous EV with room for one, set up for its occupant to “enjoy a hobby or pastime.” A gym workout was its suggestion.

The semi-autonomous e-RACER also turned heads. This tiny two-seat (one behind the other) funster mimicked an open-wheel race car, but sadly no details on power, performance or how we could get hold of one.

Despite the emphasis on “hands-off” motoring, Toyota’s effervescent boss Akio Toyoda insisted the future could be fun. “Our theme is life in the future will be centred on people, and the concept of “fun to drive” is important even when it comes to future mobility,” he said.

Back in the present, Toyota also showcased production-ready ultra-compact battery electric vehicles for its domestic market.

Toyota’s semi-autonomous e-RACER

Set for release in about a year’s time, a 2.5-metre long two seat car with maximum speed of 60km/h and all-electric range of 100km is sold on “short-distance mobility while limiting impact on the environment.”

Clearly aimed at Japan’s elderly (there are many) with mobility issues, its higher hip point will make entry and exit on a par with small SUVs.

An electric scooter ideal for pedestrian areas will also go on sale next year, but most fun was to be had in Toyota’s i-ROAD. Motorcycle-sized but fully enclosed, it has two wheels at the front and one at the back and leans dramatically as you turn corners. That one can be added to the future fun list, even if it’s limited to 60km/h and with a range of just 50km.

So where does Australia factor in to all this?

Sean Hanley, Toyota Australia’s vice president for sales and marketing, said: “We’ve got great product coming to this country in the future, and after the announcements today at the Tokyo Motor Show I’m even more excited about the future. One thing we all (the auto industry) agree on, and there’s no debate, is we must start now to reduce our CO2 footprint in Australia.”