en.Wedoany.com Reported - Toyota Motor Corporation has opened a new public exhibition area, "Toyota's Car Manufacturing," on the second floor of the Toyota Kaikan Museum. Using actual vehicles, the exhibit introduces Toyota's car manufacturing process from both development and production perspectives. The area opened to the public on June 5 and will be further enhanced in the future.
Located next to Toyota's headquarters at 1 Toyota-cho, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, the Toyota Kaikan Museum is currently showcasing Toyota's latest models and the company's transformation into a mobility company. The new exhibition area, "Toyota's Car Manufacturing," underwent renovation starting in July 2025, updating not only the exhibit content but also building facilities such as air conditioning and flooring.
Upon entering the new exhibition area, visitors are greeted by a large screen displaying the core beliefs behind Toyota's car manufacturing philosophy. Toyota's origins trace back to Sakichi Toyoda's invention of the automatic loom, driven by the desire to "lighten his mother's burden." This "for others" belief unfolds through the video, continuing to Kiichiro Toyoda's aspiration to "build Japanese cars with Japanese minds and hands," introducing models such as the Toyota AA passenger car and the Corolla.
The actual vehicle display area is divided into two sections: development and production. The development section uses the fifth-generation Prius as an example to explain four stages: planning, design, design/control/evaluation, and production preparation/procurement. Kiyomi Munekawa of Toyota's Social Contribution Division, Corporate & Automotive Culture Office, stated that this step-by-step explanation aims to help visitors understand Toyota's car manufacturing approach, which employs the Chief Engineer/Shusa system. The exhibit uses videos and models to showcase actual development methods and the consensus-building process.
Toyota's car manufacturing philosophy is encapsulated in the slogan "Making Ever-Better Cars." Through the new Prius, visitors can learn about the car development process. Testimonials from developers, sketches, and models used to unify the development direction are presented through videos, documents, and actual objects, illustrating the challenges and details of development.
In the production area, the Crown sedan, manufactured at the Motomachi Plant, is displayed as an actual vehicle. Upon entering this area, the first thing that catches the eye is the wiring harness arranged on the wall to match the actual vehicle layout. Staff members explained that the wiring harness serves as both the blood vessels and nerves of the car. Additionally, Toyota collaborates with 60,000 partner companies, and a vehicle consists of approximately 30,000 parts. The exhibit plays videos that reflect this breadth. Manufacturing processes such as stamping and casting are also displayed on large screens.
Passing through the wiring harness display and video area, visitors can see a disassembled Crown sedan with its parts categorized and displayed, a live demonstration of an actual spot welding robot, a layered paint display, and a quality inspection area. Each production process is presented at actual size. All exhibits use real vehicles and actual production equipment, allowing visitors to gain a genuine understanding of the factory's production elements. Junichi Tsukinoki of Toyota's Social Contribution Division, Corporate & Automotive Culture Office, stated that the exhibit aims to help visitors understand that Toyota builds cars together with many partner companies.
Tetsuto Sugito of Toyota's Social Contribution Division, Corporate & Automotive Culture Office, stated that the number of visitors to the Toyota Kaikan Museum declined during the pandemic but is now increasing, reaching approximately 140,000 per year. Notably, the number of overseas visitors has grown recently, and the museum offers multilingual guided tours. A guided tour is available once daily, which includes a visit to the new exhibition area, and is expected to start in mid-June. Group visits require advance reservation. Admission is free.
Additionally, the "Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology" near Nagoya Station traces Toyota's technological history, while the "Toyota Automobile Museum" near Nagakute Interchange introduces the history of Japanese and global automobiles. The exhibition at the Toyota Kaikan Museum is positioned as "conveying Toyota's present." Facility overview: Address: 1 Toyota-cho, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture. Opening hours: 9:30 to 17:00 (closed on Sundays, year-end and New Year holidays, Golden Week, summer vacation, etc.). Admission is free. Exhibits are available in Japanese, English, and Chinese.
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