In 2024, Toyota celebrated several milestones and accomplished success across various sectors.
From moving full speed ahead with making progress on its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 to presenting new opportunities for others to learn from. Here’s a look back at Toyota’s achievements in 2024 as the company gears up to keep the momentum and legacy going for the year ahead.
Leading the Way
When it comes to advancing new technologies and innovations, Toyota is committed in making a positive difference.
For the past year, Toyota has forged several partnerships and collaborations with companies that share the same dedication to achieving carbon neutrality.
Guided by its “Empact” vision to address equitable EV charging and Mobility for All, Toyota announced the first communities to receive DC fast chargers (DCFC): Baldwin Park and Sacramento, both in California. High-power 350kW chargers at each location will be installed, owned and operated by EVgo, one of the nation’s largest public fast charging networks, and feature simultaneous charging. The California sites are targeted to be operational in 2025.
In June, Toyota and local energy utility Pepco started working together on vehicle-to-grid (V2G) research for BEVs using a Toyota bZ4X. This collaboration aims to understand the needs of EV owners through their charging habits and vehicle usage, which will be crucial in driving widespread adoption of V2G technology.
The following month, the company joined seven other OEMs as a joint venture, investing in IONNA, an EV charging company, to support the buildout of its high-powered charging network for BEVs across North America. This allows Toyota and Lexus customers access to the public network of DC fast chargers that IONNA started deploying this year. IONNA plans to install at least 30,000 charging ports in North America by 2030, and stations will include both NACS and CCS connectors to support all BEV drivers.
In the fall, Toyota Motor Corporation and Joby Aviation, Inc., a company developing electric air taxis for commercial passenger service, announced that Toyota will invest an additional $500 million, subject to standard regulatory approvals and certain other conditions, to support the certification and commercial production of Joby’s electric air taxi, with the aim of realizing the two companies’ shared vision of air mobility. The investment will bring Toyota’s total investment in Joby to $894 million.
In mid-October, Toyota Motor North America (Toyota) and Revel announced an agreement to provide Toyota and Lexus BEV customers with complimentary access to Revel’s DC fast charging network in New York City for approximately three years through Oct. 14, 2027. Revel currently operates the largest network of public fast charging stations in New York City, with four high-volume stations open 24/7 offering both NACS and CCS plug types.
Environmental Sustainability and Research and Development
It’s no secret that nurturing and preserving the earth benefits every living thing on the planet. That’s why Toyota is working to ensure that its sustainability efforts are reflected throughout its operations. Through collaboration and continuous improvement, Toyota is committed to achieving carbon neutrality in operations, across new vehicle sales and supply chain as part of its 2050 goals.
Over the past 12 months, Toyota made great strides toward accomplishing those goals.
As highlighted in the annual 2024 North American Environmental Sustainability Report, Toyota’s environmental efforts include exciting partnerships such as with the Nature Conservancy to address water conservation. In addition to water stewardship, the report also highlights key progress across three other priority areas – Carbon, Circular Economy (previously “Materials”), and Biodiversity.
The company also worked with iconic environmentalist Dr. Jane Goodall’s international organization which helps build environmental awareness in young people to help them be empowered to understand issues and help come up with constructive solutions.
Advances in Hydrogen Technology
Throughout the year, Toyota also made significant changes and announcements regarding renewable hydrogen electricity. Read about some of the company’s fuel cell initiatives and facilities:
- Toyota Establishes Hydrogen Headquarters to Accelerate Advancement of Fuel Cell Technology
- FuelCell Energy and Toyota Motor North America Celebrate Launch of World’s First ‘Tri-gen’ Production System at the Port of Long Beach
- Powered by 100% Renewable Energy: Toyota Logistics Services’ Long Beach Facility
Advances in Research and Development
In addition to environmental and renewable electricity, Toyota also made remarkable advancements in R&D and innovation. Here are a few standouts in 2024:
- Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center Announces Fifteen New Research Projects to Advance Safety for the Automotive Industry
- Toyota and Argonne National Laboratory Investigate Recycling of Lithium-Ion Batteries
- Toyota Maintains Leadership in Automotive Innovation, Top Spot Among Automakers in Annual U.S. Patent Ranking
- Boston Dynamics and Toyota Research Institute Announce Partnership to Advance Robotics Research
- Toyota Research Institute and Stanford Engineering Achieve World’s First Fully Autonomous Tandem Drift Sequence
- Toyota’s Tacoma Pickup Isn’t Just an Off-Road Monster, it’s an Active Safety Stalwart
Product Reveals and MY25 News
In 2024, Toyota showcased new vehicles that complement a variety of lifestyles. One of the biggest reveals was the all-new 2025 4Runner.
This beloved off-road icon has been delivering top performance, rugged style and innovative design for more than four decades and keeps on trucking — boasting capabilities to help tackle the toughest terrains. It’s back with a bold look and adds new technology, premium materials, options, and safety and convenience features.
Another major addition in 2024 was the Direct Automatic Transmission on the 2025 GR Corolla. Thanks to the 8-speed DAT with paddle shifters, now there is an option for both hardcore enthusiasts who enjoy the thrill of a manual transmission and those who’d rather focus on dynamic handling with an automatic transmission.
Toyota also launched its new Advanced Rear Seat Reminder, debuting on the 2025 Sienna.
Building on decades of intuitive technologies designed to benefit customers, the vehicle added standard Advanced Rear Seat Reminder in models sold in the U.S., utilizing a millimeter-wave radar that is designed to detect movement in the vehicle and send alerts to notify the driver or Toyota app user (Toyota app notifications require an active Safety Connect trial or subscription and 4G network availability) through a series of escalating warnings.
Toyota also scored other significant recognitions over the course of the year including: Toyota Prius/Prius Prime winning the 2024 North American Car of the Year Award, World Car Design of the Year and the GUINNESS WORLD RECORD™ for Highest MPG for a Coast-to-Coast Drive.
Toyota also made waves at the 2024 Specialty Equipment Marketing Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas where new builds, concepts and more were featured.
Looking for more information on vehicle updates for the 2025 model year? Check out the Toyota What’s New for 2025 landing page. For even more information about these exciting new additions, be sure to test your knowledge with these fun and informative quizzes:
- Test Your Knowledge of the 2024 Toyota GR Supra
- Five Things To Know About the New 2025 Toyota Camry
- Five Things To Know About the First-Ever Toyota Crown Signia
Celebrating CALTY’s 50th Anniversary
CALTY Design Research (Calty) is where a lot of Toyota’s magic happens. The talented design team has been conceptualizing innovative designs for 50 years. To recognize and honor that milestone, Toyota newsroom featured several stories that provided a celebratory overview of some of the team’s most prominent and historic designs over the years.
Take a look at some of the pioneering and creative work to come out of Newport Beach, Calif., and Ann Arbor, Mich.:
- The CALTY Time Traveler: Four Toyota Vehicles That Defined Their Time
- Full Speed Ahead: Evolution of CALTY’s Sports Cars
- Full Speed Ahead: Evolution of CALTY’s Sports Cars — Part 2
- Behind the Blueprint: The People of CALTY Design Research
- CALTY’s New Ann Arbor Design Studio Partners with EyesOn Design to Host Open House in Celebration of 50th Anniversary
Making It Work
Toyota’s manufacturing plants are always buzzing with new and exciting happenings. For starters, there were some major investment announcements including the Kentucky plant bringing BEV assembly to its facilities, as well as a $1.4 billion investment in the Indiana plant for a similar assembly line.
What’s more, in June, Toyota also decided to grow its Huntsville plant capabilities with a $282 million investment and added more than 350 new, high-quality jobs with long-term stability, affirming its commitment to reinvesting profits in its U.S. operations. That same month, Toyota Texas expanded its footprint with a $531 million investment bringing more than 400 new, high-quality jobs to San Antonio.
Several other notable events that took place in the company’s manufacturing sector:
- Toyota Alabama starts production on its i-FORCE 2.4-liter turbo engine line for the all-new Tacoma
- The ninth-generation Camry rolled off the assembly line for the first time at Toyota Kentucky
- Toyota West Virginia starts production for the fifth-generation hybrid transaxle
- Toyota Alabama officially assembled its 10-millionth engine, an i-Force MAX 2.4-liter, to power an all-new hybrid Tacoma
Toyota creates and develops programs that help set up employees for success. One way the company does that is through its workforce readiness initiatives in the communities in which it operates. These programs equip students and young adults with the training and skills they need to excel in the manufacturing field.
In 2024, some of those programs took place in West Virginia, Kentucky, Texas, and Missouri.
This year for Manufacturing Month, Toyota newsroom readers learned 10 interesting facts about Toyota’s U.S. plants, in addition to insight into the employees who work behind the scenes in manufacturing and what fuels their careers.
To learn more about the U.S. manufacturing locations, click here.
Toyota’s Dedicated Employees
Earlier this year, Toyota published its 2024 Diversity + Inclusion Annual report, showcasing the company’s ongoing commitment towards fostering Limitless Possibilities for All throughout the United States (including Puerto Rico), Canada and Mexico. This year’s D+I Annual Report theme, “+ = Us | The Journey Continues,” follows the holistic approach introduced in the 2023 report, which was made by underscoring the multiple facets that make the company unique.
Over the course of the year, Toyota featured several stories highlighting its employees. Here are a few examples:
- Toyota’s SAGE Business Partnering Group Celebrates Multigenerational Diversity
- Celebrating Pride Month: Some of Toyota’s LGBTQ+ Employees Share The Importance of the Month and Why They Enjoy Working for the Company
- Toyota Employees Share What Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Means to Them and More
- Toyota Employees Share Why They’re Proud ToyoPets Members
- In Celebration of Black History Month: Two Toyota Employees Reflect on the Power of Diverse Leadership and Volunteerism
Building Stronger Communities
Children are the future leaders of tomorrow. In 2024, Toyota USA Foundation’s Driving Possibilities initiative, funded in part by Toyota Motor North America and Toyota Financial Services (TFS), expanded to support a total of eight communities with plans to expand to other locations where Toyota has operations. In each community, the initiative supports students and families across the PreK-12 continuum, going deep to understand where the opportunity is greatest to increase student achievement and close gaps for underserved communities.
In addition to funding, communities benefit from Toyota’s operational know-how, volunteer efforts, mentorship and other supports.
In addition to Toyota USA Foundation’s Driving Possibilities initiative, this year Toyota Motor North America announced Toyota’s Way Forward Fund’s third and fourth round of grant and scholarship awardees in support of pediatric research and injury recovery.
For more on Toyota’s community engagement initiatives, be sure to read the following stories from the past year:
- Toyota Adds $250k to STEM Education Support for Plano ISD
- Toyota Mobility Foundation Provides City of San Jose $260,000 to Make City Streets Safer Using AI and Computer Vision
- Detroit Calls for Global Innovators to Promote Clean Freight in Historic Eastern Market as Part of Global $9M Sustainable Cities Challenge
- CSU Dominguez Hills and Toyota Join Forces to Improve Mobility for Underserved Communities
- Toyota Kentucky Creates the Triple Crown for Workforce Readiness – Toyota USA Newsroom
Team Toyota: Winning Streak
On and off the field of play, Toyota was all game for taking home several wins in 2024. From motorsports to Paris 2024, there were many monumental moments with Team Toyota over the past 12 months.
In October, it was announced that Toyota Racing will formally become TOYOTA GAZOO Racing prior to the start of the 2025 season with all of its motorsports efforts competing under the global TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) banner. Later that month, Toyota clinched its ninth Formula DRIFT Auto Cup title after the season finale at California’s Irwindale Speedway.
Several motorsports drivers were featured over the year including Corey Heim, Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex, Jr., Denny Hamlin and John Hunter Nemechek.
While motorsports was a hot topic, the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 were just as enthralling. Toyota Team USA made it to the podium thanks to these top-performing athletes:
Team Toyota is showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, in August, it was announced that the first female anglers are set to join Team Toyota, marking a monumental step in empowering women in competitive fishing. If that sports news wasn’t enough, here’s an even bigger one: Toyota is the “Official Automotive Partner of the NFL” and of course, that major partnership comes with an entertaining NFL-themed campaign to keep fans engaged all season long.
To stay ahead of the game, be sure to check out the latest additions to its roster of league partners.
Overall, Toyota had a year filled with tremendous milestones, innovative products and outstanding partnerships. If 2025 is anything like 2024, the company is in for an exhilarating ride.
