Toyota driving innovation

As Woven City, a prototype of the future, opens for residents and innovation partners, Toyota New Zealand has mobilised its resources to support an initiative to connect our brightest technology companies with leaders from Silicon Valley in California.

Five years ago, Akio Toyoda as chief executive officer, announced that Toyota Motor Corporation would be building a living laboratory at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan.

Woven City, pictured, would be designed as a compact and sustainable destination where the latest ideas and technologies, such as autonomous electric vehicles and reticulated hydrogen providing energy for homes, could be tested in real life, he said.

This month, Toyoda, now chairman of Toyota, announced phase one of the campus was complete and the first of some 2,000 residents will soon move in.

The company plans to focus on four key areas of research and innovation – the mobility of people, goods, information and energy.

Toyoda says: “We think of Woven City as a test course for mobility where we can develop any number of solutions.”

The project will house a wide range of people. They include Toyota employees and their families, retirees, scientists, retailers, industry partners, entrepreneurs and visiting academics. 

Spaces have been built for laboratories and innovative start-ups to develop, build and test concepts.

Toyoda has also announced a pitch competition for fully funded scholarships to Woven City for start-ups or individuals who need financial support to bring their ideas to life.

“We believe that by combining Toyota’s strengths with those from different industries, we’ll be able to create new value, products and services we could never achieve on our own.”

Here in New Zealand, Toyota is also supporting technology innovation by partnering with Far Out: The Epic New Zealand 4x4 Road Trip as its lead sponsor.

A convoy of more than 90 people, it includes 35 leading US tech founders, engineers, executives and investors who are travelling the country to visit and learn about our tech environment.

The mission of the Far Out 4x4 Road Trip is to supercharge tech and innovation companies by bringing together the brightest owners of local companies and start-ups to facilitate building relationships with the who’s who of Silicon Valley, American venture capitalists and investors.

Another aim is to foster a funnel of global talent to help propel Kiwi companies onto international success.

Tatsuya Ishikawa, acting CEO of Toyota NZ, says: “We are moving from being a traditional car company to a company that provides mobility solutions for everyone. 

“To achieve that, innovation and collaboration is key. Far Out has given us a great opportunity to meet these people and hear their stories.”

Events planned on the road include dinners and more formal evening events – in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown – that involve locals meeting convoy attendees.

Far Out was created by Rob Coneybeer, co-founder of Shasta Ventures, along with several close Kiwi friends.

Coneybeer splits his time between this country and Seattle, and on behalf of Shasta Ventures has invested in eight New Zealand-based startups. 

His mission in creating the Far Out Road Trip is to cultivate relationships that will help propel our companies to global success.  The inaugural trip was made in 2024.

Coneybeer says he’s “focused on New Zealand because it has enormous potential. It’s not the land that makes New Zealand great, it’s the people”.

Toyota NZ has joined Icehouse Venture, NZX, GD1, Blackbird, BNZ, Shasta Ventures and Mountain Club as event partners.

It’s providing two new Land Cruiser Prados for the Far Out convoy, which starts in Auckland on January 31 and ends in Queenstown on February 8.