Toyota Motor Corporation has begun full operation of its new research and development home. The Toyota Technical Center Shimoyama, located in a mountainous area straddling the cities of Toyota and Okazaki, has a range of test circuits with numerous elevation differences and curves that take advantage of Shimoyama’s natural terrain.
Construction began in April 2018 following site development work. The central area, which features a country road test course, went into operation in April 2019, followed by the eastern area, which features a high-speed track and a specialized circuit reproducing road conditions from around the world, in October 2021. The western area, which is home to a new vehicle development building and a visitor building, is also now operational. A recent ceremony formally marked the full opening of the R&D center.
Team members from all functions – including planning and design, development and engineering, and prototyping and evaluation – are based at the new center, “emulating the look and feel of a pit at the Nürburgring”, Toyota says. Cutting-edge digital equipment will promote agile development.
Environmental conservation was a “foremost consideration” in the construction of the Toyota Technical Center Shimoyama. Around 60% of the total site area (approximately 650ha) consists of preserved original trees and greenery, in addition to new green spaces. In March 2023, an Environmental Learning Center opened in the eastern area of the hub.
Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda said at the celebratory ceremony, “Around 3,000 people, including development members and test drivers from GR and Lexus, will drive, break and improve cars here. The more we drive and break cars, the ever-better they become. As a master driver myself, I’m looking forward to spending a lot of time driving around the roads of Shimoyama.”