Apr. 20, 2004
Toyota Marks Completion of Universal Design Showcase
New Megaweb Facility to Include Large Welcab Display and Special Test Course
Tokyo ― TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announced today that it plans to open on April 21 in Tokyo a universal design1 information-exchange display facility called the TOYOTA Universal Design Showcase.
To commemorate the completion and planned opening of the facility―which is the result of renovations carried out at TMC’s Megaweb car theme park―TMC welcomed more than 100 guests to an on-site ceremony today, which was also attended by TMC President Fujio Cho and other TMC officials.
The TOYOTA Universal Design Showcase is an experience-based display space that―from the perspectives of listening, operating and seeing―introduces Toyota’s concept of “making user-friendly vehicles”. It will regularly exhibit more than 400 universal design items made by various Japanese and overseas manufacturers. The facility’s design theme centers on the close relationship between universal design and everyday life, and it lets visitors try out easy-to-use, fun and beautiful universal-design products.
As an embodiment of universal design, TMC will display about 25 Welcab2 series vehicles outfitted with the latest features, which visitors can experience on a special test course. Both the display area and test course are among the largest in Japan for vehicles developed for people with disabilities.
Ever since its founding, TMC has worked toward benefiting society as a whole through making things and making automobiles. It undertakes initiatives to create ever more comfortable and easy-to-use vehicles, giving due consideration to the environment and safety, while also adopting its own universal design evaluation indices in the development of such vehicles. The TOYOTA Universal Design Showcase hopes to function as a base for sharing a wide range of information spanning various different industries, as the importance of universal design increases in response to aging societies and the diversification of peoples’ needs.
To commemorate the completion and planned opening of the facility―which is the result of renovations carried out at TMC’s Megaweb car theme park―TMC welcomed more than 100 guests to an on-site ceremony today, which was also attended by TMC President Fujio Cho and other TMC officials.
The TOYOTA Universal Design Showcase is an experience-based display space that―from the perspectives of listening, operating and seeing―introduces Toyota’s concept of “making user-friendly vehicles”. It will regularly exhibit more than 400 universal design items made by various Japanese and overseas manufacturers. The facility’s design theme centers on the close relationship between universal design and everyday life, and it lets visitors try out easy-to-use, fun and beautiful universal-design products.
As an embodiment of universal design, TMC will display about 25 Welcab2 series vehicles outfitted with the latest features, which visitors can experience on a special test course. Both the display area and test course are among the largest in Japan for vehicles developed for people with disabilities.
Ever since its founding, TMC has worked toward benefiting society as a whole through making things and making automobiles. It undertakes initiatives to create ever more comfortable and easy-to-use vehicles, giving due consideration to the environment and safety, while also adopting its own universal design evaluation indices in the development of such vehicles. The TOYOTA Universal Design Showcase hopes to function as a base for sharing a wide range of information spanning various different industries, as the importance of universal design increases in response to aging societies and the diversification of peoples’ needs.
| 1 | The provision of services and the design of products and environments that can be used by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design |
| 2 | Specially equipped vehicles with factory-installed features for disabled people |
TOYOTA Universal Design Showcase Overview
| Location | Palette Town, 1, Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo (within Megaweb); Tel: 03-3599-0808 |
| Operating hours | 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. |
| Days closed | Not fixed |
| Exhibition space | 2,750squaremeters (total floor space of the second floor) |
| Exhibit details | - Understanding universal design: The Strange Terrace, Guidance Corner - Universal design products: Universal Design Collection Wall - Introducing universal design in cars: - Universal Design in the Car, TOYOTA F1 Cars and Universal Design - Experiencing universal design: - Universal Design Cars, Test Drive Corner (for Welcab models) |
| Expected number of visitors | 600,000/year |
| Website | http://www.megaweb.gr.jp |
