Toyota Expanding its Industry-Leading Safety Technology Package with Second Generation Toyota Safety Sense™

Next Generation of Advanced, Mass-Market Safety Technologies to Help Mitigate More Potential Causes of Accidents

Toyota Motor North America, Inc. (TMNA) today announced that the second generation of its Toyota Safety Sense™(TSS) package of active safety features will begin rolling out as standard equipment on certain Toyota vehicles beginning in mid-2018. The updated safety package will add new technologies and capabilities that enhance protection for drivers, passengers, and others who share the road, while helping to provide peace of mind in even more driving situations.
 
“At Toyota, we are committed to making high-level driver assistance systems more widely available and even more affordable across a broader range of our vehicles,” said Chris Nielsen, executive vice president of product support and chief quality officer of Toyota Motor North America. “The second generation of Toyota Safety Sense™ takes our industry-leading suite of safety technologies to the next level, delivering new advanced and intuitive protections that are another step toward a future without traffic injuries or fatalities.”
 
The second generation TSS reflects Toyota’s ongoing efforts to reduce the cost of advanced safety technologies and make them accessible to a wider range of new car buyers. The initial version of TSS, along with Lexus Safety System+ (LSS+), brought Toyota’s Pre-Collision System (PCS) with Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), Lane Departure Alert (LDA), and other advanced safety systems to more than five million Toyota and Lexus vehicles sold in North America, Japan, and Europe. By the end of 2017, TSS and LSS+ will be standard on almost every model in the Toyota and Lexus lineups.
 
As with the first generation TSS, the upgraded system is designed to support driver awareness, decision making and vehicle operation over a wide range of speeds under certain conditions. Packaged together into an integrated system, it helps to address three key areas of accident protection: preventing or mitigating frontal collisions, keeping drivers within their lanes, and enhancing road safety during nighttime driving.
 
The second generation TSS has been expanded to help improve driver situational awareness while providing additional protections for a pedestrian or bicyclist in front of the vehicle. New or updated technologies will include: 

• Pre-Collision System (updated) with enhanced deceleration capabilities and the ability to help detect a collision with a pedestrian in front of the vehicle during the day and at night, and bicyclist in front of the vehicle during the day.
• Lane Departure Alert (updated) enhanced with “road edge detection” to increase the vehicle’s ability to help drivers stay in their lane
• Road Sign Assist (new), which is designed to display road sign information in an easy-to-understand format on the dashboard meter display and Head-Up Display if equipped. The vehicle’s onboard camera can detect and recognize certain common road signs in the U.S., Japan and Europe (road sign type varies by market).
• Lane Tracing Assist (new), which provides steering support to help the driver keep the vehicle centered in its lane when Dynamic Radar Cruise Control is in operation. 
• Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (updated) with enhanced forward recognition and acceleration/deceleration performance across a wide range of speeds. (Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control not available vehicles equipped with manual transmissions).

 
With the introduction of second generation TSS beginning in mid-2018, the list of Toyota Safety Sense™ packages in the United States is as follows:
 

TSS-C (Certain current models)	TSS-P (Certain current models)	TSS (Beginning mid-2018 in certain models)
Pre-Collision System Lane Departure Alert Auto High Beams	Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection function Lane Departure Alert (available with Steering Assist function on certain models) Auto High Beams Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (Full-Speed Range available on certain models)	Pre-Collision System with Day/Night Pedestrian Detection function and Day Bicycle Detection function Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist Lane Tracing Assist Road Sign Assist Auto High Beams Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (excluding manual transmission vehicles) with enhanced forward recognition and acceleration/deceleration

 
Toyota plans to continue expanding the capabilities of Toyota Safety Sense™ with a broader range of automated safety systems and technology as research and development progresses. This proven approach to technology development helps speed the introduction of advanced systems designed to help improve safety, reduce accidents and ease traffic congestion.

Toyota Unveils Third Generation Humanoid Robot T-HR3

Remote, safe, smooth operation of robot enabled through new, advanced Torque Servo Module and Master Maneuvering System

Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) today revealed T-HR3, the company’s third generation humanoid robot. Toyota’s latest robotics platform, designed and developed by Toyota’s Partner Robot Division, will explore new technologies for safely managing physical interactions between robots and their surroundings, as well as a new remote maneuvering system that mirrors user movements to the robot.
 
T-HR3 reflects Toyota’s broad-based exploration of how advanced technologies can help to meet people’s unique mobility needs. T-HR3 represents an evolution from previous generation instrument-playing humanoid robots, which were created to test the precise positioning of joints and pre-programmed movements, to a platform with capabilities that can safely assist humans in a variety of settings, such as the home, medical facilities, construction sites, disaster-stricken areas and even outer space.
 
“The Partner Robot team members are committed to using the technology in T-HR3 to develop friendly and helpful robots that coexist with humans and assist them in their daily lives. Looking ahead, the core technologies developed for this platform will help inform and advance future development of robots to provide ever-better mobility for all,” said Akifumi Tamaoki, general manager, Partner Robot Division.

T-HR3 is controlled from a Master Maneuvering System that allows the entire body of the robot to be operated instinctively with wearable controls that map hand, arm and foot movements to the robot, and a head-mounted display that allows the user to see from the robot’s perspective. The system’s master arms give the operator full range of motion of the robot’s corresponding joints and the master foot allows the operator to walk in place in the chair to move the robot forward or laterally. The Self-interference Prevention Technology embedded in T-HR3 operates automatically to ensure the robot and user do not disrupt each other’s movements.
 
Onboard T-HR3 and the Master Maneuvering System, motors, reduction gears and torque sensors (collectively called Torque Servo Modules) are connected to each joint. These modules communicate the operator’s movements directly to T-HR3’s 29 body parts and the Master Maneuvering System’s 16 master control systems for a smooth, synchronized user experience. The Torque Servo Module has been developed in collaboration with Tamagawa Seiki Co., Ltd. and NIDEC COPAL ELECTRONICS CORP. This technology advances Toyota’s research into safe robotics by measuring the force exerted by and on T-HR3 as it interacts with its environment and then conveying that information to the operator using force feedback.
 
The Torque Servo Module enables T-HR3’s core capabilities: Flexible Joint Control, to control the force of contact the robot makes with any individuals or objects in its surrounding environment; Whole-body Coordination and Balance Control, to maintain the robot’s balance if it collides with objects in its environment; and Real Remote Maneuvering, to give users seamless and intuitive control over the robot. These functions have broad implications for future robotics research and development, especially for robots that operate in environments where they must safely and precisely interact with their surroundings.
                        
Since the 1980s, Toyota has been developing industrial robots to enhance its manufacturing processes. Partner Robot has utilized the insights from that experience and built on Toyota’s expertise in automotive technologies to develop new mobility solutions that support doctors, caregivers and patients, the elderly, and people with disabilities.
 
T-HR3 will be featured at the upcoming International Robot Exhibition 2017 at Tokyo Big Sight from November 29 through December 2.
 

Technical Specifications
 

	Master Maneuvering System	T-HR3
Size	W:850 mm x D:1500 mm x H:1450 mm	H:1540 mm
Weight	170 kg	75 kg
Moving Parts	16 axes	32 axes and 10 fingers
Accessories	Data Glove, Head-Mounted Display

Toyota Premieres Powerful First Olympic and Paralympic Television Commercial as it Transitions from an Automobile to Mobility Company

 “Mobility For All,” the first spot from Toyota’s first global campaign “Start Your Impossible” premieres November 16 

Toyota’s television commercial “Mobility For All” will air for the first time on television in the U.S. tonight on NBCSN during the Winter Olympic Trials with an Olympic and Paralympic message that delivers hope and breaks new ground for Toyota as it evolves from an automobile company to mobility company.
 
Created as part of the company’s eight-year global sponsorship of The Olympic and Paralympic Games and as the first-ever Mobility Partner in the history of The Olympic Partner (TOP) Programme to sponsor the mobility category, “Mobility For All” leads Toyota’s first global campaign, “Start Your Impossible.”
 
The campaign is a reflection of the company’s transition to a mobility company. As the anthem to inspire and enable the pursuit of all things impossible through movement, “Mobility For All” highlights mobility stories of Olympic and Paralympic athletes and other individuals (ages 1 to 100) in every stage of life. The 60-second spot also introduces transportation solutions, next-generation mobility, and advanced technologies researched and developed by Toyota.
 
A group of 16 distinguished athletes taking part in “Mobility For All” includes: Tatyana McFadden, the world’s leading wheelchair racer, who has won 17 Paralympic medals across five Games for the USA; Brad Snyder, American Paralympic swimmer, former captain of the U.S. Naval Academy swim team and three-time gold medalist at the Paralympic Games Rio 2016; and Rami Anis, a swimmer from Syria, part of the Refugee Olympic Team at the Olympic Games Rio 2016.

While the ad is the first spot to debut, Toyota will roll out nine additional commercials globally through The Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2018. Each commercial will feature inspirational stories and Toyota's range of mobility products, a mix of conceptual inventions used for research and development purposes, as well as products that Toyota has committed to deliver to the market.
 
Toyota’s new website, MobilityForAll.com (to be rolled out in phases), was built in consultation with the National Center for Accessible Media. The site was designed to be accessible for users with various impairments. Whether set to default, visually impaired, hearing impaired, mobility impaired or cognitively impaired, all coding and design features work to make the experience equally enjoyable for all users.

Launching in addition to the new broadcast campaign are “Start Your Impossible” digital and social amplifications including:
 

• Relay Your Challenge: With the belief that achieving the impossible begins by setting goals and declaring them aloud, Toyota encourages consumers and its team members to share their ‘impossible statement’ and relay it forward so that people worldwide can participate and challenge themselves. Visit RelayYourChallenge.com.

• Impossible Stories: These are inspiring in-depth long form videos of 10 impossible challengers in 10 countries, three of which are available at launch. The documentaries convey a deeper understanding of Toyota’s vision for the future through the challengers’ stories of starting their own “impossible.”

 
“I can’t think of any better stage to announce our evolution as The Human Movement Company than the pinnacle of human movement, The Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Jack Hollis, group vice president and general manager, Toyota Motor North America. “At Toyota, we believe that movement is a human right. With the ‘Start Your Impossible’ campaign, we aim to inspire people and as a company, aspire to solve challenges and create solutions to mobility barriers that limit human potential.”
 
“The campaign, was born out of an unprecedented move by Toyota and our long-standing agency partners at Saatchi & Saatchi (Los Angeles and Dallas) and Dentsu (Tokyo) that broke down agency walls to collaborate as one integrated team,” said Hollis.”
 
To view and learn more about Toyota and the “Start Your Impossible” campaign, please visit MobilityForAll.com.

Toyota Opportunity Exchange Makes its Motown Debut

28th Annual Event Brings Tier 1 Suppliers and Minority Businesses Together in Detroit

At Cobo Hall in downtown Detroit today, the 28th Toyota Opportunity Exchange brought together minority, and women-owned businesses and representatives from Tier 1 suppliers to network, help foster relationships and strengthen the automotive supplier base.

This was the first time the event was held in Detroit. Michigan, home to 60 of the top 100 North American automotive suppliers and over 1,700 automotive-related manufacturing facilities, is the ideal location to bring together representatives from companies that drive the automotive industry with companies that aspire to do the same. Michigan’s strong automotive history and vast supplier base was also the catalyst for Toyota’s recent $154 Million investment to expand its research and development operations and create its Supplier Center in the state.

“With the relocation of our purchasing team as well as the construction of our Supplier Center in Michigan, it only made sense to bring the Opportunity Exchange event to Detroit. The goal of Opportunity Exchange is to connect diverse companies with Tier I suppliers, and the largest concentration of those Tier 1’s is right here in Michigan,” said Robert Young, group vice president for Toyota Purchasing, Supplier Engineering Development (SED) and Cost Planning. “By strengthening critical skills, business insight, and networking, our goal is to turn today’s connections into tomorrow’s relationships.”

Throughout its 28-year history, the Toyota Opportunity Exchange has allowed hundreds of diverse businesses to cultivate and strengthen relationships within the automotive space.

“As the Piston Group continues to grow, we have consistently delivered high customer satisfaction, high quality and low cost, enabling our selection as a supplier to Toyota," said Vinnie Johnson, founder, chairman and CEO of Piston Group. "We are proud of our partnership with Toyota, and thrilled to participate in the Opportunity Exchange.” 

The event includes a trade show, seminar and panel discussions that focus on how diverse suppliers can turn relationships into opportunities.

“Our annual participation in the Toyota Opportunity Exchange has been a key component in our exponential business growth with Toyota in chemical management, and continues to spur creativity within the Chemico organization," said Leon C. Richardson, president & CEO, The Chemico Group. "We are thrilled that this year’s event is being held in our hometown -- the Motor City.” 

Beginning in 1989 with 300 attendees, Toyota Opportunity Exchange has grown to over 1,800 attendees and has generated hundreds of millions in contracts for suppliers.

For more information, visit ToyotaOpportunityExchange.com.

Toyota Sets a Goal of Mobility For All in Global “Start Your Impossible” Campaign

Campaign Features Real-Life Success Stories Focused on Toyota’s Commitment To Enabling Human Movement

Company’s first-ever global campaign to launch in celebration of The Olympic and Paralympic Games

Toyota continues its evolution as a mobility company with its first-ever global marketing campaign. “Start Your Impossible” launches today in 24 countries in celebration of Toyota’s eight-year global sponsorship of The Olympic and Paralympic Games as the first-ever Mobility Partner in the history of The Olympic Partner (TOP) Programme to sponsor the mobility category.
 
“Start Your Impossible” debuts with a film entitled “Mobility For All” which features 100 real-life mobility stories of Olympic and Paralympic athletes and other individuals (ages 1 to 100) in every stage of life. An additional 15 markets will start running in the months leading up to The Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2018.

The fully integrated campaign highlights Toyota’s mission to create a barrier-free society and reinforces the company’s values of humility, hard work, overcoming challenges, and never giving up.
While “Mobility For All” is the first creative asset to debut globally, Toyota will roll out nine additional spots globally that feature inspirational stories and Toyota's range of mobility products - a mix of conceptual inventions used for research and development purposes and products that Toyota has committed to deliver to the market.
 
The “Start Your Impossible” campaign TV commercials close with an original mnemonic featuring Toyota’s mobility products and athletes who embody the best in human performance.  Print, digital and out-of-home “Start Your Impossible” creative aims to start conversations about breaking barriers to achieve dreams.
 
Toyota has recently launched a website – MobilityForAll.com. In consultation with the National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) in the United States, the website (which will be rolled out in phases) is built to be accessible for users with various impairments and to allow all users to experience the site’s content. Whether set to default, visually impaired, hearing impaired, mobility impaired or cognitively impaired, all coding and design features work to make the experience equally enjoyable for all users.
A partial list of the digital and social amplifications of “Start Your Impossible” that will be available at launch include:

• Relay Your Challenge: With the belief that achieving the impossible begins by setting goals and declaring them aloud, Toyota encourages consumers and its team members to share their ‘impossible statement’ and relay it forward so that people worldwide can participate and challenge themselves. Visit RelayYourChallenge.com.
• Impossible Stories: These are inspiring in-depth long form videos of 10 impossible challengers in 10 countries, three of which are available at launch. The documentaries convey a deeper understanding of Toyota’s vision for the future through the challengers’ stories of starting their own “impossible.”

A group of 16 distinguished athletes taking part in the first “Mobility for All” spot of the campaign includes: Tatyana McFadden, the world’s leading wheelchair racer who has won 17 Paralympic medals across five Games for the USA; Brad Snyder, American Paralympic swimmer, former captain of the U.S. Naval Academy swim team and three-time gold medalist at the Paralympic Games Rio 2016; and Rami Anis, a swimmer from Syria, part of the Refugee Olympic Team at the Olympic Games Rio 2016.

To view and learn more about Toyota and the “Start Your Impossible” campaign visit MobilityForAll.com.
 
“At Toyota, we embrace the potential of new technology to help us create products and services that enable people to overcome barriers and to reach their potential,” said Susumu Matsuda, Marketing Division General Manager, Toyota Motor Corporation. “The Olympic and Paralympic Games align with Toyota’s values and are platforms to showcase our global commitment to the concept of mobility for all.”
 
“Mobility means something different to every person around the world.  At Toyota, we have always defined mobility as providing people with the opportunity to move freely, and we believe the time has come to share our mobility vision and solutions with everyone.  I can think of no better stage to announce our evolution as The Human Movement Company than the pinnacle of human movement, the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Jack Hollis, group vice president and general manager, Toyota Motor North America. “At Toyota, we believe that movement is a human right. With the ‘Start Your Impossible’ campaign, we aim to inspire people and as a company, aspire to solve challenges and create solutions to mobility barriers that limit human potential.”
 
“The campaign, was born out of an unprecedented move by Toyota and our long-standing agency partners at Saatchi & Saatchi (Los Angeles and Dallas) and Dentsu (Tokyo) that broke down agency walls to collaborate as one integrated team,” Hollis said.”

Toyota honored with another perfect score of 100 percent on 2018 Corporate Equality Index

Automaker recognized as a vehicle for change in the workplace and in our communities


For 11 years, Toyota has been honored with a perfect score of 100 percent on the Corporate Equality Index (CEI), including for 2018. The CEI is a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) workplace equality, administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
 
Toyota was one of the first automotive companies to provide comprehensive domestic partnership benefits back in 2002, and continued to demonstrate its support of LGBTQ team members by expanding tax benefits, adoption support and transgender health benefits.
 
“Toyota’s commitment to diversity doesn’t stop within the company,” said Chris Reynolds, executive vice president and chief diversity officer of Toyota Motor North America. “Across the country, Toyota partners with, and invests in a variety of organizations to help build positive, affirmative environments in which the diverse members of our communities, including LGBTQ, can live and make stronger contributions towards an ever-better society for all.”
 
The 2018 CEI evaluates LGBTQ-related policies and practices including non-discrimination workplace protections, domestic partner benefits, transgender-inclusive health care benefits, competency programs and public engagement with the LGBTQ community. Toyota’s efforts in satisfying the CEI’s criteria results in the 100 percent ranking and designation as a “Best Place to Work” for LGBTQ Equality.
 
With over one billion dollars of business conducted with minority- and women-owned suppliers every year, Toyota is building strong and successful relationships with some of America's most vibrant and progressive companies. Through dedicated supplier diversity professionals, Toyota strives to ensure businesses and business opportunities are open to all.
 
For more information on the 2018 Corporate Equality Index, or to download a free copy of the report, visit www.hrc.org/cei.