The Lexus RZ 450e (left) and electrified Toyota AE86.

The legendary Nurburgring in Germany is arguably the most challenging racetrack in the world.

Featuring terrifying twists, blind corners and drops, the Nurburgring remains the ultimate driver’s challenge.

It’s no surprise then that when Toyota was designing its brand-new proving ground in Shimoyama, the automotive giant decided to model it on the tortuous German circuit.

Taking full advantage of local topography, the 5.3km long track encompasses a 75-metre change in elevation and includes a wide range of curves and cambers to simulate a variety of European road conditions.



The purpose of this loop is to help engineers develop vehicles with dynamic characteristics that make them fun to drive and yet be able to withstand exacting driving environments.

An on-site technical centre will allow their findings to be most efficiently applied.

The racetrack is part of a spanking new research and development facility in the mountainous region of Shimoyama, which is an hour from Tokyo.

Selected media from around the world, including The Star, were taken on a two-day tour of this top-secret facility recently.



By the time the construction of the facility is complete in March 2024, some 3,300 people should be employed at the site, with around 90% of these directly involved in vehicle development, testing and evaluation.

The tour was arranged right after the Japan Mobility Show (the new name for the Tokyo Motor Show) where Toyota showcased a slew of next-gen vehicles from the Toyota, Lexus and Century monikers.

The byword these days for Toyota engineers and certainly for the foreseeable future is “multi-pathway”.

It’s a catch-all phrase which confirms the automaker’s strategy of achieving carbon neutrality by offering a range of options, including battery electric vehicles (BEVs), fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs).



Toyota calls it “mobility for all”.

The company has been on the vanguard of promoting hydrogen-powered vehicles for the last few years, but the shift towards multi-pathway means that while not abandoning hydrogen power, it is now pivoting towards EV and its various amalgamations.

According to its chief branding officer Simon Humphries, Lexus will lead the EV wave.

“By 2025, all Lexus models will have an electrified option and by 2035, Lexus will become a BEV-only brand,” he told the media.



And in Shimoyama, the media was given a taste of what’s to come from Toyota – manual Lexus UX BEV, steer-by-wire bZ4X, NEO-steer bZ4X, Corolla Cross H2, repurposed AE86 (Toyota Levin), Lexus NX PHEV and the on-demand Lexus RZ 450e.

Almost all these cars feature the company’s new software platform – the Arene OS which unlocks the potential of Toyota’s new BEV architecture. Arene will redefine a next-gen cockpit which combines digitalisation and intelligence and could potentially lead to vehicles that have interactive reality capability.

Driving the AE86 (a favourite of the boy-racer crowd back in the 1980s) proved the most fun because the vehicle has been re-engineered to be a full BEV and a manual one at that.




The NEO-steer bZ4X took getting used to because it does not have pedals, meaning you do not use your legs – brakes are on the left side of the “steering wheel”, while the accelerator is on the right.

The on-demand Lexus RZ 450e was just that – four different types of cars at the tip of your fingertips.

Using the Arene OS, the car was able to transform into a sub-compact, truck, BEV, and a sports car.

Adhering to its multi-pathway future, Toyota also showcased an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle that it hopes will be a game-changer, at least in Asia.



The media was given a chance to drive the much talked about IMV 0, which stands for “Innovative International Multi-Purpose Vehicle”.

Based on the same platform as the Hilux, the IMV 0 starts as a blank template of four wheels, a flatbed, and a two-door cab.

Also showcased at the Japan Mobility Show, the IMV 0 can transform into a myriad of possibilities and purposes.

For example, it could be used as a refrigeration unit, as an open-top pickup, as a livestock transport, mobile coffee shop among others.



Toyota will launch the IMV 0 in the Asean region first before expanding to other markets and Malaysia could be one of the first countries to benefit from this strategy.

“The basic IMV 0 will cost US$10,000 (around RM46,000) and will be launched in Thailand by the end of this month,” said Jurachart Jongusuk, regional chief engineer of IMV, adding that 80 local Thai partners had already been identified to configure the body of the vehicle based on individual customer specifications.

He said the vehicle would be eventually available in four engine capacities – 2.0L petrol, 2.7L petrol, 2.4L diesel and 2.8L diesel.

Toyota’s profit margins have been kept deliberately low with the US$10,000 sticker price, but the company is expecting the IMV 0 to be a bestseller, targeting an initial 25,000 monthly units in Thailand alone.

Keywords