Predicting the Unpredicted: Toyota's Extensive Efforts in Forward-Thinking Design
In the heart of Toyota's design philosophy lies a deep-rooted commitment to creating happiness for all, an ethos that drives the company's innovative mobility solutions. This approach is particularly evident in the Vision Design Division, a team of creative minds dedicated to shaping the future of automotive design.
At the helm of this division is Takayuki Nakajima, a designer who has been with Toyota since 1991, after studying design at Aichi Technical High School. Nakajima's career ambition was sparked by a presentation given by a graduate working at Toyota, and he has since worked on various car models, including the Vitz, Auris, AYGO, IQ, Japan Taxi show car, GranAce, and more. In 2015, he served as the Yaris Project Chief Designer, and in September 2021, he was appointed as the General Manager of the Vision Design Division.
The Vision Design Division embodies a unique blend of tradition-inspired principles and cutting-edge technologies. At its core is an inventive spirit and imagination, fostering creativity and innovation to address mobility challenges and create unique value. This spirit is reflected in Toyota's group vision announced in 2024: “Inventing our path forward, together.”
Sustainability and advanced technologies also play a significant role in Toyota's design philosophy. The division incorporates cutting-edge technologies like electric and hydrogen fuel cell powertrains, as exemplified by models such as the Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. This commitment to sustainability and advancing alternative energy solutions is a testament to Toyota's forward-thinking approach.
Safety and autonomous innovation are central to the design process, ensuring that future vehicles not only innovate in powertrain and aesthetics but also in driver and passenger safety. The division integrates advanced safety systems and autonomous driving technologies to build confidence and improve the mobility experience.
Continuous improvement (Kaizen) and employee well-being are also integral to the design process. The division aligns its practices with Toyota’s emphasis on Kaizen in manufacturing and organizational practices, integrating user-centric and work-friendly approaches to reduce workloads and foster trust, enabling better-focused innovation and quality in product development.
The Vision Design Division is not just creating cars but mobility solutions that enhance well-being, community engagement, and adaptability. This reflects Toyota's evolving identity from a car manufacturer into a mobility company shaping future society.
The division collaborates with Toyota's overseas design centers to give concepts shape as advanced models. Toyota's design work extends beyond cars to the relationships between people and products, and the relationships between products and urban spaces.
Nakajima emphasizes the importance of diverse interests and curiosity in good design. He believes that the accumulation of inputs remains important, even as times and tools change. This philosophy is reflected in the division's practice of designers exploring ideas by analyzing and exploring in a genchi genbutsu style, including studying the natural world, other products, and the power of serendipity.
Designers at Toyota build miniature distorted image models to express design concepts. One unique example is a 3D printed black hamburger, created by a color designer who scanned a real hamburger in detail, which was on display in Toyota's offices.
Nakajima was also involved in launching Japan Automotive Interior Design (JAID) activities, an organization aimed at creating new automotive horizons through an all-Japan approach. This initiative reflects Toyota's commitment to fostering collaboration and innovation within the Japanese automotive industry.
President Akio Toyoda's call to "make ever-better cars" has been a significant influence on Toyota's design philosophy. With a global design workforce of 1,200 people, including modelers, Toyota's designers do not consider themselves as prophets or fortune tellers, but they often find themselves in sync with other car designers' ideas and tastes.
In summary, Toyota's Vision Design Division combines tradition-inspired principles with cutting-edge technologies, sustainable energy focus, rigorous safety innovation, and a human-centric development approach to craft future cars that are imaginative, practical, and aligned with a broader mission of positive social impact.
Technology is instrumental in Toyota's Vision Design Division, as evidenced by their incorporation of cutting-edge technologies like electric and hydrogen fuel cell powertrains, such as the Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.
In the pursuit of continuous improvement and innovation, the division embraces technology to build future vehicles that not only excel in powertrain and aesthetics, but also prioritize safety through advanced safety systems and autonomous driving technologies.
