Toyota Motor Corporation has opened a new exhibition space at the Toyota Kaikan Museum in Toyota City, Japan. Titled “TOYOTA’s Creative Carmaking,” the section opens to the public on June 5 and covers Toyota’s carmaking process from vehicle planning and development through procurement, production, and customer delivery.
The exhibition is organized into three zones, each using real vehicles and visual displays.
Zone 1 presents the origins of Toyota’s manufacturing philosophy, tracing it to Sakichi Toyoda, founder of the Toyota Group, whose commitment to “for the benefit of others” the company says continues to shape its work. The zone includes a concept video and a one-eighth scale model of the Toyoda Model AA, Toyota’s first passenger car. A quote attributed to Kiichiro Toyoda, who founded Toyota Motor Corporation, is displayed: “With Japanese ideas and skills, we must create an automobile industry for Japan.”
Zone 2 focuses on vehicle development and uses the fifth-generation Prius, released in 2023, as a case study. Through real vehicles and life-size video presentations, it illustrates how chief engineers at Toyota hold responsibility spanning planning, development, production, and sales for their respective models, with graphics, videos, and lighting effects showing how teams work under that structure.
Zone 3 covers production, using graphics to illustrate the production flow — including stamping, welding, painting, assembly, inspection, and logistics — alongside disassembled parts and welding robots. An immersive theater shows large-screen production line footage from the workers’ perspective.
The Toyota Kaikan Museum was established in 1977 to mark Toyota Motor Corporation’s 40th anniversary. It has received over 17 million visitors, including those who visited Toyota Hall, its predecessor, which opened in 1960. Admission is free. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with the museum closed Sundays, summer vacation periods, year-end and New Year’s holidays, and Golden Week. Exhibit descriptions are available in Japanese, English, and Chinese.
