Toyota Announces New Technical Center: What Does This Mean for Motorists?

Motoring giant Toyota made big news on April 2nd, revealing that, as recently as March 25th, it began operations at its brand-new research and development facility. The move signals an exciting new period of research and technological progression for the brand. 

The aptly named Toyota Technical Center Shimoyama can be found in a mountainous area across Toyota and Okazaki. Choosing this location was by design and not just because of the name-check. 

Toyota is using the technical curves and varied elevations of the test courses in its new center as the optimal space to test out new cars, using natural terrain to put even its best vehicles through their paces.

This was a major undertaking for the global brand. It took Toyota at least six years to fully complete the center build, with construction beginning in April 2018. 

The huge facility is split into multiple technical departments, including a fully-fledged country road test area (where tests actually began back in 2019), an eastern wing with a high-speed test course, and a western wing comprising new vehicle development and visitor buildings. 

Toyota’s end goal with this latest launch was to bring together everyone from planning and design, prototyping, development and engineering, and, of course, evaluation, in one practical location. This way, Toyota creatives can work together on physical projects more efficiently than ever.

Ok, so, an admission of sorts – as new and inspiring as Toyota’s new center might be, it is not completely unique. That is, of course, to say that parts of the new build were in fact inspired by facilities available at the Nürburgring, one of the most famous race courses in Europe (and indeed the world).

The center already had a 3.3-mile copy made of the Nürburgring course—but this latest project has even brought the pits along with it! It sounds like a haven of sorts for motor racing fans, let alone an important new platform for putting Toyota's best tech through its paces. 

Its facility covers an area of 2,512 square miles, and the company has committed to making over 60% of the area completely green. That is to say, they have focused on preserving the original trees and greenery in the area and developing new green spaces.

In fact, in March 2023, the company completed the Environmental Learning Center in the eastern area, focused on environmental conservation. It's the latest in a long line of moves from the Japanese giant to make eco-motoring the heart of its operations.

Toyota’s latest technical center promises to push the brand and its vehicle line harder than ever before. With the firm leaning more toward hybrids than EVs, time will tell if the new setup makes any waves regarding Toyota's electrical prowess.

Toyota continues to grow in the US, though it's facing fierce competition from Tesla – will price rather than performance dictate success for the next year ahead? It's still too early to say.