Toyota starts to advance into the era of connected cars, launching recently the completely redesigned sedan “Crown” and the new generation car “Corolla Sport” into the market on June 26. Both of the elegant and popular models are promoted as Toyota’s first generation of connected cars in order to elevate the roles and functions of vehicles amid the drastically changing automobile market. 

Except for similar models, it is unusual for Toyota to launch two new car models on the same day. Shigeki Tomoyama, the Executive Vice President of Toyota Motor Corporation, has expressed his determination to make Toyota the trend leader of connected cars, “The latest technology we use is bringing about the era of connected cars.” 

Specifically, with the onboard “e-Care Driving Guidance” feature, the driver can talk and receive driving advice directly from a representative in the call center or sales office via the in-vehicle microphone and speaker in the event that the warning signal is lit. In collaboration with the LINE application, the vehicles offer a feature that allows the driver to register the vehicle’s navigation system and then “chat” about the destination with it. 

Toyota has established the “Connected Operation Kaizen Dojo” training center in Nisshin, Aichi prefecture, to get the showroom personnel trained and ready to support the drivers. Besides, since almost all models of Toyota vehicles will be connected cars, the company therefore need to hurry to develop the infrastructure of over 5,000 sales offices in Japan.

Aside from the technology for connected cars, Toyota certainly has taken one step further to elevate both of the car models. Even though the Crown is specifically manufactured for the Japan market, the chief engineer Akira Akiyama asserted that “it can compete globally.” Currently, it has been running-tested in Germany and in the process of being exported. As for the Corolla Sport, as the twelfth model in the Corolla series, it is designed to be a vehicle for every gender and generation with the aging group in mind.  

These connected cars are praised to play an important role of being a part of mobility service of the future. Comparably, it is the goal of Toyota to become a mobility service provider of the future.