Japan Mobility Show 2025 TOYOTA / DAIHATSU Press Briefing

Presentation by Koji Sato, President & CEO, Member of the Board of Directors (Representative Director)

Good morning everyone, and thank you for coming to the Toyota Group Pavilion! I have the honor of kicking things off today.

At the entrance, you'll find displays representing many of our most valued beginnings. The Toyoda Model AA―our first attempt at passenger car production. The Type G1 Truck―the starting point of our commercial vehicles, which are so vital to daily life. And the Toyoda Automatic Loom Type G...

The Toyota Group began with a wooden loom invented by a young Sakichi Toyoda―inspired by his mother's struggles. Through continuous improvements, later in his life, Sakichi invented the Toyoda Automatic Loom Type G.

At the core of all of this was a desire to act for others. That has been and will continue to be the starting point of every challenge we take on.

Before I continue, please watch this.

TOYOTA Commercial "TO YOU"

https://youtu.be/175wT4xfXhE

We have infused the words "to you" with the spirit of the Toyota brand.

We have long worked hard to make "Mobility for All" a reality. But while standing on the front lines of manufacturing, there was always something that felt a little off.

That something was... we often say "for all", but in truth, there isn't a single product that perfectly suits everyone in the same way.

What we think when we're making something is: "We want to help someone. We want to make someone smile." We always picture the face of a certain singular "you" and keep that face in mind as we make things.

Drawing ever closer to the day when "Mobility for All" is real by keeping "you" in mind...

We realized that this is what truly drives our monozukuri―our manufacturing spirit.

At the end of the commercial was this Corolla.

The Corolla is symbolic of our "to you"―in other words, car-making for a specific someone. In line with the times and people's lives, the Corolla has always transformed for the "you" right in front of it.

Regardless of its look or body type, it has always been the Corolla. That's why the Corolla has always been "a car for everyone." To stay like that, how should the Corolla evolve?

The Earth is vast, and the world is diverse. Roads differ, and so do energy realities.

That said, there's one thing that we all share: a sense of caring for the Earth.

And there's one more thing... Wanting to drive a car that looks cool... I think that many of us share such a desire.

Whether it's a battery EV, plug-in hybrid, hybrid, or internal combustion engine vehicle―whatever the power source―let's make good-looking cars that everyone will want to drive! This car is packed with inventions aimed at making that a reality.

Next, is this IMV Origin...

When planning this vehicle, the "you" that we had in mind were people living in rural villages in Africa. With "you" in such places in mind, we incorporated two key ideas into the vehicle.

The first idea was: "We will ship this vehicle from our production plant unfinished."

This vehicle leaves its plant before it is ready to be driven. It is the local people who assemble and complete it. This brings new local jobs in the form of assembly work.

The second idea was that customers would define the vehicle on their own terms, even after it's assembled.

Will it carry people or cargo? Will the cargo be boxes or something else?

We just build the base. From there, each customer completes the vehicle to fit their needs. As a carmaker, not finishing this vehicle was frustrating. However, not finishing it is what makes it a "for you" car, because people have different needs in their daily life and work.

The IMV Origin is a vehicle that takes on the challenge of constant reinvention based on the concept of "deliberate incompleteness."

Next, please watch this video.

Daihatsu Commercial "DAIHATSUMEI for me"

https://youtu.be/WHMd6zv6cDA

This commercial... don't you find yourself just humming along? I was singing along backstage, too. It's a good thing that my mic was off!

What you can do because it's small...

When driving on Japanese roads, I imagine that there are quite a few times when one thinks, "I'm so lucky that this car is small."

The first car in this commercial was a 1950s Midget.

Hearing people around town saying, "It'd be great to have a small car" triggered thoughts of "Well, then let's make one!", leading to a unique invention or daihatsumei.

Making small cars is incredibly difficult. As someone who has been involved in car-making, I can say that from my heart. But Daihatsu continues to take on such challenges.

What you saw at the end of this commercial was the Midget of the future.

Now, as then, Daihatsu's car-making is staying the course. Going around town to listen to what people are saying... thinking about how to help people when it finds someone in trouble... racking its brain over how it can make the most of its technologies for making things small. This led to the Midget X.

Let me introduce one more... The K-OPEN, a convertible minivehicle.

What makes the K-OPEN so great?

It's rear-wheel drive. It might be hard to convey how amazing it is, but achieving rear-wheel drive in a front-engine car with such a compact body is truly incredible.

You need to place the engine low, carefully package the transmission and propeller shaft, and design the pedal layout so that everything fits perfectly into this body.

Well... I would love to take hours explaining why, but to make a long story short, it's packed full of the wisdom and ingenuity of its developers.

The other day, it was reported in the news that our chairman, Akio Toyoda, would become Daihatsu's master driver.

I think he will be driving and breaking the Copen a lot.

So, everyone at Daihatsu, building a car with Master Driver Toyoda around isn't easy! Be ready for quite a ride!

But, as a carmaker, there can't be a more fun way to make cars. I truly can't wait to see what kind of car this Copen will be like.

Daihatsu can come up with unique inventions by pursuing what small can do. We'll use that strength to work together toward "Mobility for All."

And one more thing... This "TO YOU" ad reads: "If you can't go, mobility will come to you."

Mobility is about more than just someone getting in and going. Another key role of mobility is getting closer to "you" and delivering something.

The car pictured here is this KAYOIBAKO. Just as cardboard boxes come in different sizes, so does the KAYOIBAKO. From extra-large to small... Daihatsu will make the small boxes, and Toyota will make the big boxes.

In the beginning, I spotlighted the Type G1 Truck, which was the origin of our commercial vehicles. At the time, we had just begun taking on the challenge of entering the automotive business, and the trucks that we delivered suffered breakdown after breakdown.

It is said that Kiichiro Toyoda immediately rushed to the scene each time.

That truly is the "Customer First" spirit... and I believe Kiichiro also had two other things in mind.

One was the genchi-genbutsu engineer spirit, going to see things for oneself on site to understand the circumstances of a vehicle's breakdown with a desire to improve.

And the other was his feeling toward society―that we shouldn't allow life to come to a halt, and that we must make Japan a better place.

Firmly carrying this sentiment forward, Toyota intends to continue valuing and nurturing commercial vehicles, or "hauling mobility."

"Mobility for All", "Act for Others", "TO YOU", "DAIHATSUMEI for me"... these phrases inspire our creativity and motivate us as carmakers. And these passions are the driving force that bring more diverse forms of mobility to life.

For example... this "boost me".

"If we had something like this, people with mobility issues and those without would be able to seriously compete in sports together." From that idea, our colleagues proposed expanding this kind of mobility.

And this "Kids mobi".

"If we had something like this, wouldn't it open a whole new world for children?" From that idea, our colleagues gave form to a mobility solution for children.

Thinking of someone―a single "you"―and exploring how we can fulfill that person's needs.

We want to make various ever-better cars by pursuing the "To you" ideal―believing that will lead to producing happiness for all.

Sometimes you succeed with an invention, and sometimes things don't turn out the way you had hoped. But the difficulty is what makes something worth doing. That's what taking on challenges is all about.

A future created by all the "you"s around the world... we want cars and countless smiles to be right at the center of that future. For this, we want to make cars even more beloved and fun.

Let's change the future of cars.

With this passion as our driving force, we―the entire Toyota Group―will keep taking on the challenge of invention.

Thank you very much!