Kenshiki means insight in Japanese and this year’s edition to an audience of over 300 media, focused on the battery electric and hydrogen powered vehicles which will play a significant role in the company’s multi pathway strategy in the years ahead.

Mobility for All

Toyota’s principle of ‘Mobility for All’ and its commitment to achieving full carbon neutrality in Europe by 2040 and globally by 2050 guides the company’s approach to new product development.

Speaking at Kenshiki, Simon Humphries, Chief Branding Officer, Head of Design, Toyota Motor Corporation provided further insight into the company’s mindset: “for us, what mobility really comes down to, is freedom. With freedom comes opportunity, and at Toyota, we believe that everyone should have access to the opportunity that mobility provides, wherever in the world they live, whatever the situation and leaving no one behind.”

Toyota’s ‘multi pathway’ strategy confirms this thinking, where low and zero emission mobility solutions are designed to meet specific regional needs; products which satisfy customer demand or are relevant to their local infrastructure whilst remaining accessible so that no one is left behind on the journey to carbon neutrality.

Mr Humphries presented several concept models which will spearhead Lexus and Toyota’s next generation battery electric vehicles; he explained that the new modular design architecture combining gigacast chassis, components minimisation and the new Arene operating system, enables design freedom to elevate the entire user experience.

The exciting line-up of future Toyota and Lexus battery electric vehicles presented at Kenshiki are intended to appear on European roads in the coming years - including the Lexus LF-ZC, Toyota FT-Se Toyota FT-3e, Toyota Sport Crossover concept and the Toyota Urban SUV concept.

The Path Towards Carbon Neutrality

TME announced last year, its goal of achieving full carbon neutrality in Europe by 2040.

SBTi Scope 1 & 2 carbon neutrality will be achieved in its European operations and manufacturing facilities by 2030.

For Scope 3, Toyota will achieve 100% CO₂ reduction in new vehicles sales in 2035 and, by 2040, full carbon neutrality in value chain and logistics - where TME is already making progress by starting to use hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks on its four key logistics routes from Belgium to Germany, France and Netherlands.

Battery Electric Vehicle Expansion

Yoshihiro Nakata, President & CEO, Toyota Motor Europe commenting on TME’s mid-term product launch plan stated that “whilst we will continue to offer multiple carbon reduction technologies, we will also steadily increase the number of zero-emissions vehicles we offer to customers”.

In Europe, Toyota’s electrified mix is already at 71% and is expected to grow to 75% in 2024, and this will further expand with new battery electric vehicles playing an increasingly significant role in its sales volumes.

By 2026, TME will offer around 15 different zero emission vehicles under the Toyota brand from passenger cars to light commercial vehicles, when Toyota’s European BEV mix is expected to be over 20% and more than 250,000 vehicles per annum.

Turning to hydrogen, Mr Nakata, explained that Toyota retains a confident outlook on its unique role in contributing to the decarbonisation of Europe’s mobility with the momentum of growing infrastructure and availability of green hydrogen.

Toyota’s hydrogen strategy reaches across several mobility sectors; in the passenger car segment, it offers the Mirai and newly launched Crown. In the commercial sector, TME’s Hydrogen Factory Europe, is integrating its current fuel cell technology into trucks, buses, coaches, boats – and pick up trucks as seen in the hydrogen fuel cell Hilux prototype presented at Kenshiki.

Hydrogen technology will be further advanced when Toyota launches its third generation fuel cell systems in 2026.

Addition of Proace Max Completes Toyota Professional Line-up

The Toyota Professional light commercial vehicle line-up is completed by the addition of the new Proace Max, a large van available in three lengths and heights providing customers the versatility the demand.

Like its siblings, the new Proace Max is available with a battery electric powertrain, giving a range of 420km (WLTP) and access to zero-emission zones.

Proace Max joins the newly-updated Proace and Proace City models to offer customers the choice between large, medium and small commercial vehicles – all with the option of a battery-electric powertrain.

Hilux is also a key part of the Toyota Professional fleet, a mainstay of TME’s commercial fleet for customers who value quality, durability and reliability. It will receive another boost next year when a version with a hybrid 48 volt system is introduced, providing more power and torque while improving fuel efficiency by 10%.

Toyota Professional has strong momentum and sales are expected grow in 2023 to over 140,000 vehicles, an increase of more than +20% compared to 2022.  A strong product offering is just one part of the equation, with a key differentiator being the recognised customer-service excellence of the retail network.  

Toyota’s Paris 2024 Legacy

Further to the earlier hydrogen thread, Matt Harrison, COO, Toyota Motor Europe highlighted that up to ten hydrogen applications will be in operation at Paris 2024. Toyota, as the worldwide mobility partner of the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee will provide a passenger vehicle fleet of more than 2650 electrified vehicles and 700 electric last-mile mobility solutions.

Mr Harrison explained that among these solutions are 250 Accessible People Movers (APMs), redesigned for Paris 2024, and built in Europe, to better meet local requirements for Paris: “The vehicle is designed to offer last-mile service and and transport people with accessibility needs.

Kenshiki Deep Dives 

A series of Kenshiki product and technology deep dives followed the main meeting:

• Toyota previews expanded dedicated BEV line-up and advanced battery technologies
• World Premiere: Urban SUV Concept
• European Premiere: Sport Crossover Concept
• European Premiere: Toyota FT-3e
• European Premiere: Toyota FT-Se concept
• Land Cruiser: start of online reservation
• Toyota Professional Pushes Forward with Increased Product Power and Leading Customer Service
• All-new PROACE MAX Delivers Strength, Capacity and Efficiency
• New Hilux Hybrid 48V Enhances an Invincible Icon
• Lexus embraces innovation and advanced technologies to become an all-electric luxury brand
• Toyota Hydrogen Factory scaling up its European activities
• Toyota to deliver inclusive electric mobility solutions for all at Paris 2024

Accessible People Mover (APM)

Toyota believes in ‘Mobility for All’. The APM is the latest illustration of this vision. The vehicle is designed to offer last-mile service and transport people with accessibility needs.

During the Games, Toyota will deploy around 250 APMs to support the transportation of athletes, visitors and staff around various facilities, including places where events or competitions are held, and other official sites such as the Athletes Village. The uses for APM include:

• Transporting athletes, organisers, volunteers, and spectators with physical disabilities or with difficulties to walk, including wheelchair users
• Moving small goods across the Games
• Emergency relief.

The APM is a battery electric vehicle. It has been designed in Belgium by Toyota Motor Europe and will be produced in Portugal by Toyota Caetano. Vehicle production is set to start in February 2024.

Wheelchair e-puller

Toyota co-developed the wheelchair e-puller to further its vision of Mobility for all at the Paralympic Games Paris 2024. The wheelchair e-puller converts a classic mechanical wheelchair into a battery-powered electric mobility solution, giving more freedom of movement to wheelchair users.

The wheelchair e-puller has been developed together with Austrian mobility startup Klaxon. They specialise in creating products that help people with wheelchairs move easily and independently.

The wheelchair e-puller will be made available during Paris 2024:

• At the Paralympic Village 50 units will be available as shared mobility via the KINTO Mobility App, to be used within the village. To use it, users will need to fit a bracket to their wheelchair.
• At the Paralympic Opening Ceremony. At least 150 units will be used by National Paralympic Committees, athletes and staff.

The e-puller’s speed will be limited for the Paralympic Opening Ceremony and when in use in the Paralympic Village. Its average range is 25 km.

Toyota’s visual identity at Paris 2024

During the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024, all Toyota vehicles, including the electrified fleet and advanced mobility solutions will adopt a specially designed visual identity, highlighting the strong partnership between Toyota and the Games. The unique design will emphasise Toyota’s multi-path strategy, where each of the technologies, present at the Games, will be identifiable through dedicated colours.

Toyota’s Ever Better Mobility for All philosophy believes that freedom of movement is fundamental for a diverse society. Toyota is on its way to becoming a mobility company, working to reduce obstacles to move for all, regardless of their physical abilities. With many thousands of athletes, staff and volunteers, Paris 2024 will be a demonstration of what is possible when we work together for a better and more inclusive society.

In collaboration with the IOC, the IPC and the Paris Organising Committee of Olympic and Paralympic Games, Toyota is dedicated to making Paris 2024 the most innovative showcase of inclusive and sustainable mobility to date. That starts by making sure that athletes and their families, staff, volunteers, and spectators can all move around sustainably and safely.

Ensuring ‘Mobility for All’

During the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024, Toyota will provide solutions to enable the ease of movement for all. To that end, Toyota will offer personal and group mobility products that are designed to enable ease of movement for everyone.

At Paris 2024, Toyota will make available around 250 personal battery electric vehicles – seated C⁺walk_S and standing C⁺walk_T. Both have a maximum speed of 6 km/h and are enabled with front obstacle detection systems to ensure the safety of the drivers and those nearby. The seated version will be available to athletes, organisers and volunteers, whereas the standing version will be distributed to staff and volunteers to facilitate their movement around the Paris 2024 venues.

For wheelchair users, Toyota will also provide wheelchair e-pullers. Fifty of the e-pullers will be available throughout the Paris 2024 in the athletes’ village. An additional 150 will be made available during the Paralympic Games opening ceremony to make sure that athletes in wheelchairs have easy access to join this unique event.

To ensure fair and easy access to these personal micro-mobility solutions in the Paralympic Village, Toyota will offer them as a shared mobility service powered by KINTO Share mobile app. Sharing of these products will maximize their usage by Paralympians and staff, as well as keep the operations more efficient.

In addition to personal micro-mobility solutions, Toyota will deploy around 250 zero tailpipe emission electric Accessible People Movers (APM). Building on the vehicle’s success at the Tokyo 2020 Games, the new APM has been redesigned and built in Europe with the spirit of inclusivity in mind.  

Toyota’s APMs are designed to support all athletes, as well as organisers, volunteers, and spectators with physical disabilities, including wheelchair users. They will take on roles of main shuttle in the Olympic and Paralympic Village, and at the venues; some will in parallel move small goods across the Games and a number of them will be designated as an emergency relief vehicle. APMs will operate mainly inside the Paris 2024 security zones, bringing Toyota’s ‘Mobility for All’ vision into reality.

Toyota will also provide 150 wheelchair-accessible battery electric vehicles Toyota Proace Verso to support the mobility of the Olympic and Paralympic family members in wheelchairs. After Paris 2024, all vehicles will remain in Paris region where they will be used to provide specialised personal transport services to people in wheelchairs.

Overall, Toyota plans to provide 700 personal last-mile mobility products such as C+walk_S, C+walk_T, wheelchair e-pullers, 250 APMs, as well as 150 wheelchair-accessible Toyota Proace, among other mobility solutions. This way, Toyota will ensure that athletes, volunteers and organisers have access to the most inclusive and sustainable mobility fleet ever seen at the Olympic and Paralympic games.

A more sustainable fleet

Sustainability is a significant part of Toyota’s commitment to building a better world, underlined by its Environmental Challenge 2050, by which date the company aims to achieve carbon neutrality at a global level – and in Europe by 2040. That is why Toyota’s multipath strategy, combining different electrified vehicles, is at the core of the Toyota fleet to be made available to the Olympic and Paralympic family at Paris 2024. Toyota will bring a 100% electrified passenger vehicle fleet to Paris, in line with its commitment to reduce carbon emissions.

Overall, Toyota will bring more than 2,650 electrified passenger vehicles to be used during Paris 2024 of which 150 are wheelchair accessible. Around 60% of the fleet will have zero-tailpipe emissions, including battery electric vehicles (BEV) Toyota bZ4X, Proace and Proace Verso and Lexus RZ, and fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEV) Toyota Mirai.

During the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024, Toyota will provide 500 of its hydrogen-fuelled FCEVs Mirai to enable zero tailpipe emission movement for the Olympic and Paralympic family, athletes, organisers and volunteers alike. After the games, all 500 vehicles will join the existing Paris hydrogen taxi fleet, thereby increasing the number of FCEV vehicles to 1,500.

In addition to zero tailpipe emission vehicles, Toyota will also bring around 1,000 hybrid (HEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles – Toyota’s global best-selling RAV4 in both PHEV and HEV versions, as well as Toyota Corolla TS, Yaris Cross, and Highlander, all with hybrid technology.

Furthermore, the official fleet will be complemented by additional vehicles connected via Toyota’ car-sharing service KINTO. The car sharing will give the Olympic and Paralympic family even more flexibility to move around.

Overall, Toyota aims to reduce vehicle carbon emissions at the Paris 2024 Games by 50% compared to those of previous Games. Furthermore, nearly 60% of all Toyota’s fleet will be produced in Europe, including 37% in France, contributing to the vision of a sustainable and locally sourced Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Building a sustainable hydrogen mobility legacy

Toyota believes that hydrogen is a key pillar for the creation of a low-carbon and a more sustainable society. That is why the company has put it at the heart of its mobility concept for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. During the Paris 2024, Toyota will showcase its vision of building a sustainable hydrogen ecosystem through a demonstration of hydrogen solutions that further push the boundaries of hydrogen-powered mobility.

In addition to the 500 Toyota Mirai FCEVs, Toyota will also bring specific applications that go beyond the traditional automotive offering. Overall, Toyota and its partners are planning to showcase up to 10 different hydrogen mobility, mostly fuel-cell, applications – a significant increase from Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022. Applications will range from buses and trucks to boats and forklifts – all demonstrating the potential of hydrogen-powered society. These applications are a result of Toyota’s integration of its fuel-cell technology with partners, with the aim of solving today’s most pressing mobility challenges.

Among the hydrogen applications to be on display in Paris 2024 are two FCEV city buses, converted specifically for this occasion. The buses were designed with accessibility and team spirit in mind and will be able to transport an entire wheelchair team in one bus.

On the logistics side, Toyota will showcase the benefits of hydrogen-powered FCEV trucks, developed together with its partners. In addition, FCEV forklifts, designed by Toyota Material Handling, will further demonstrate how hydrogen-powered logistics operations can support hydrogen economy.

Toyota’s fuel-cell technology will be present in FCEV-powered boats, coaches, the hydrogen Hilux prototype, and other solutions to support the operations at the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024.

Building a sustainable hydrogen-powered mobility requires a robust ecosystem that supports hydrogen-based business solutions. Toyota expects that by demonstrating the feasibility of hydrogen mobility solutions at Paris 2024, it will encourage a wider roll-out of the hydrogen infrastructure.

Putting people at the centre with Global Team Toyota Athletes

Toyota’s partnership with the Olympic and Paralympic Games is a result of Toyota’s commitment to building a better world of tomorrow. Sports and the way that athletes face and overcome challenges to reach their goals is an inspiration and show the way to a more inclusive and sustainable society.

That is why Toyota is a proud partner of around 200 athletes from 40 countries on their road to qualify and compete in Paris 2024, all training under the umbrella of Global Team Toyota Athletes. These Olympians and Paralympians embody Toyota’s core value of continuous improvement and desire to overcome challenges.  

Toyota’s commitment to building a better society goes even further. The company is dedicated to making movement better for everyone and ensuring that everyone gets the same chance to be their very best. In 2018, Toyota rolled out a global corporate campaign ‘Start Your Impossible’, that reflects the Olympic and Paralympic spirit of encouragement, challenge and progress. The initiative is built on three pillars - Ever Better Society, Ever Better Toyota and Ever Better Mobility for All - that encompass Toyota’s pledge to a constantly evolving world. The campaign continues with Paris 2024.

In addition, in the run-up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Toyota Motor Europe, under the banner ‘Start your Impossible’ has launched a European activation campaign. Over 100,000 Toyota employees from across Europe can take on non-business-related challenges, such as sports, volunteering, or mindset shift activities to contribute to the ever-better society, and therefore an ever-better Toyota. And by being active in their lives and their communities, they can be one of the 4,000 employees to get a chance to attend and support the Paralympic Games Paris 2024.

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Cities around the world still face challenges surrounding mobility, having to solve issues ranging from traffic congestion to air pollution, traffic accidents, and access for people with impairments. Starting from Tokyo 2020 and through Beijing 2022, and continuing now in Paris 2024, Toyota is hoping to help cities tackle these challenges around the world and contribute to developing a sustainable mobility society.

Toyota will disclose more of its plans and contributions, including those related to new mobility products and solutions, moving forward between now and Paris 2024.

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