The Japan Mobility Show 2025 has kicked off, with Toyota revealing new directions for its brands. What kinds of mobility are on display? Across three articles, we showcase the vision behind the individual brands and exhibits.
The Japan Mobility Show (JMS) 2025 opened on October 29 at Tokyo Big Sight.
In our Toyota Times livestream on October 13, we outlined how Toyota has restructured its five brands—Century, Lexus, Toyota, Daihatsu, and GR. Aside from GR, the other four brands each have their own booth at this year’s show.
*GR is preparing to exhibit at the 2026 Tokyo Auto Salon.
Heading through Tokyo Big Sight’s West Exhibition Hall to the Toyota brand area in the South Hall, visitors are greeted by a Type G Automatic Loom, a Toyoda Model AA passenger car, and the Toyoda G1 Truck.
All three are part of Toyota’s origins, inventions brought into the world for the benefit of others.
From there, a lineup of new mobility offerings from Daihatsu, Toyota, Lexus, and Century embodies each brand’s vision for the future.
On day one, the event was only open to the press, attracting reporters from many media outlets. In the Toyota area, President Koji Sato, Chief Branding Officer (CBO) Simon Humphries, and Chairman Akio Toyoda took turns outlining the brand concepts and the ideas behind each exhibit.
In this series of three articles, we share their speeches and some of the vehicles on show at JMS.
First up, we begin with President Sato’s presentation for the Toyota and Daihatsu brands.
To You
President Sato
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, Sakichi invented the Toyoda Automatic Loom Type G.
At the core of all 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 video.
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.
“A car for everyone”
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 ensure it remains this way, how should the Corolla evolve?
Our 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 is: "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 is that customers 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."