Toyota’s Woven City is now operational and actively seeking startups, representing a significant step forward in the company’s vision for the future of mobility.
During CES 2025, Toyota revealed the completion of Phase 1 construction of Woven City, a mobility testing ground situated at the former site of Toyota Motor East Japan’s Higashi-Fuji Plant in Susono City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The groundbreaking ceremony for this innovative project was held on February 23, 2021, with the initial structures completed in October 2024.
Woven City is conceived as a human-centric urban environment where inventors, including Toyota, Toyota Group companies, as well as external firms, startups, and individual entrepreneurs, can innovate, test, and refine groundbreaking products and services. This distinctive ecosystem harnesses Toyota’s extensive manufacturing expertise along with Woven by Toyota’s (WbyT) software capabilities, aiming to address societal challenges and generate future-oriented value.
Highlights
Inventors and Their Projects
A number of companies have already confirmed their involvement in Woven City, each focusing on unique collaboration themes:
- Daikin Industries, Ltd.: Testing “pollen-free spaces” and “personalised functional environments”
- DyDo DRINCO, INC.: Developing new value through innovative vending machine concepts
- NISSIN FOOD PRODUCTS CO., LTD.: Designing and assessing food environments to inspire new culinary cultures
- UCC Japan Co., Ltd.: Investigating the potential of coffee through futuristic café experiences
- Zoshinkai Holdings Inc.: Utilizing data to develop innovative teaching strategies and learning environments
In addition, Woven City is actively engaging with companies such as ENEOS Corporation, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT), and Rinnai Corporation.
Accelerator Programme and Community Growth
Starting in summer 2025, external startups, entrepreneurs, universities, and research institutions will be invited to Woven City through an accelerator programme designed to encourage innovation and collaborative efforts among a diverse range of inventors.
The first residents of Woven City, anticipated to move in during autumn 2025, will mainly consist of Toyota and WbyT employees along with their families, totalling around 100 individuals. This community will gradually grow to incorporate external inventors and their families, with Phase 1 designed to accommodate roughly 360 residents, and the total population expected to reach about 2,000 in later phases.
Role of Residents and Visitors
Residents and visitors, referred to as ‘Weavers,’ will play an integral role in Woven City. They will engage in co-creation activities, offering feedback and aiding in the realisation of the city’s full potential. Initially, visitors will be limited to associated parties, but plans are underway to invite the general public to join as Weavers starting in the financial year 2026 or thereafter.
Toyota’s Shift Towards a Mobility Company
Woven City is a vital element of Toyota’s evolution into a mobility enterprise, with ambitions to redefine mobility to encompass not just transportation, but also the movement of people, goods, information, and energy. This initiative aligns with Toyota’s broader vision of cultivating a more connected, intelligent, and empowered global community through human-centric innovation.
With aspirations to extend mobility from land, sea, and air to space, WbyT has also declared an investment in Interstellar Technologies Inc. to facilitate the mass production of rockets.
Toyota’s Woven City is now operational and seeking startups, symbolising a crucial milestone in the company’s vision for the future of mobility.
