Toyota ‘wows’ at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show

TOKYO, Japan — “What wows you?” was the first question asked by Akio Toyoda, president and CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation, as he stood on the stage of Toyota’s exhibit at the 44th Tokyo Motor Show on October 28, 2015.

To answer Mr. Toyoda’s question, people from the crowd could have simply raised their fingers and pointed to one or all of the three impressive cars on stage—Toyota’s new 4th generation Prius, the C-HR concept hybrid crossover, and the FCV Plus fuel-cell concept car.

The cars on display were truly “wow”-inspiring, which is a good sign that Toyota’s efforts were not in vain. As Mr. Toyoda explained, “The cars you see on display today all have something in common.  Each of them represents an effort—backed by our heartfelt desire to make ever-better cars—to give form to our concept of “Wow!”

By asking car consumers “What wows you?” Mr. Toyoda shows that Toyota is a car company that GETS what car manufacturing should be about.  It’s not about the machines, it’s about the people.

“80 years on, our customers can be found around the world. Our goal remains the same… providing “Wow!” to customers everywhere.  This means bringing fun and excitement to all the communities in which you can find our cars,” Mr. Toyoda exclaimed passionately.  “That, I believe is Toyota’s mission,” he adds.

Barely had the crowd recovered from being awestruck by the cars, it was wowed again as Toyota’s special guest appeared on stage. Ichiro Suzuki, Japanese professional baseball player and right-fielder for Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins, was just as striking as the Toyota cars.

What does a world-class baseball player and an auto company have in common? More than meets the eye.

As Ichiro admits, “I’m not an auto industry insider, but I genuinely feel there’s something that’s the same between us.” (I seem to recall hearing Ichiro quip that he’s not even a good driver)

While other automotive companies at the 2015 TMS simply had their executives talking on stage about their newest model or concept cars, Toyota went back to its roots and the reason for its existence.

Mr. Toyoda shared how 80 years ago, his great grandfather Kiichiro Toyoda believed cars could be made in Japan using local know-how and skill.  Kiichiro’s desire to help make that happen led to the birth of “Toyota”.

Success did not come easy.  Mr. Akio Toyoda candidly revealed that back then, “not only were we decades behind Europe and the U.S. in terms of technology, it’s my understanding that we were on the verge of bankruptcy and really didn’t event have the money.”

It seems Toyota’s secret for success is its courageous determination to take on new challenges, something that world-class athletes or successful people from different fields can relate to.

“Every time we’ve talked, for some reason, I’ve always just kind of felt that we share the same thinking,” said Ichiro as he went on to explain his and Toyota’s similar approach to success. “To go forward from where you are now, you always have to keep taking on new challenges. Competing globally is really tough. You can’t survive without trying something new…”

As to trying something new, Ichiro said he constantly changed his form even if it meant lowering his batting average.  Mr. Toyoda mentioned how Toyota took on the challenge of transforming ‘pipe dreams’ into tomorrow’s household names. While the Prius has been globally successful, Mr. Toyoda reminded everyone that at one point “hybrid and fuel cell vehicles have both been dismissed as oddities.”

“I’m excited to see just what kind of “Wow!” Toyota will bring to the game as it takes on new challenges,” Ichiro exclaimed.

These cars at the 44th TMS proved that Toyota stepped-up to the plate this year:

The all-new Toyota Prius

 

New Prius

The 4th generation of Toyota’s pioneer hybrid, since its launch as the world’s first mass-produced hybrid passenger vehicle in 1997.

Toyota C-HR

 

Toyota C-HR Concept

A compact hybrid crossover, which might soon have a production-ready model at the Geneva International Motor Show in March 2016.

Toyota’s new entry-level sports car, the S-FR

 

Toyota S-FR

A concept vehicle of a lightweight, entry-level sports car.

Toyota FCV Plus

 

Toyota FCV Plus

A fuel cell concept vehicle which embodies Toyota’s vision of a hydrogen-based society. When the FCV Plus is not being used as a means of transport, it can share its power generation capabilities with communities as part of the local infrastructure.

Toyota KIKAI

 

Toyota KIKAI

A concept car that makes on open display of the beauty of its machinery, normally hidden beneath the vehicle’s body.

Can we expect Toyota to keep giving us reasons to say “wow”?

It seems Toyota has stepped up to the plate to take on this challenge as Mr. Toyoda firmly said, “Here’s Toyota’s promise, written in stone: We will keep making better cars, and we will make mobility more fun than ever.”

Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) president Michinobu Sugata; TMP officers; Lexus Manila Inc. president Daniel Isla; the author; and members of the Philippine media in Japan for the 44th Tokyo Motor Show.