Toyota Shows End-to-End Vehicle Development at Technical Center Shimoyama, Debuts Lexus TZ
Toyota held a media event at its Toyota Technical Center Shimoyama, highlighting its 'drive, break, fix' development cycle and unveiling the all-new Lexus TZ, a three-row BEV SUV.
Approximately 300 billion yen
Approximately 3,000
650.8 hectares
What Happened
Toyota held a media event at its Toyota Technical Center Shimoyama, showcasing the facility's integrated development approach. The center employs a 'drive, break, fix' cycle where vehicles are tested, repaired, and refined on-site across three floors and multiple test courses. This approach aims to continuously strengthen both cars and the people developing them.
Construction begins on Toyota Technical Center Shimoyama
Full operations commence at TTC-S
Media event and world premiere of Lexus TZ at TTC-S
The center also saw the world premiere of the all-new Lexus TZ, a three-row BEV SUV developed under the 'roads build cars' philosophy. The TZ offers a premium mobility space combining driving performance with comfort for all seats. It was refined through extensive testing on the center's courses.
- Test Course Loop 3: 5.3-km 'country road' with 75m elevation change, one-quarter scale of Nürburgring
- Dirt Course: unpaved rally and dirt course for durability evaluation and GR parts development
- Maintenance Floor: accommodates up to 40 vehicles with direct course access for repairs and adjustments
- Planning and Engineering Floor: above garage, for data analysis and improvement measures
- Design Floor: integrates clay modeling and digital reviews for vehicle design refinement
Why this matters
The center enables rapid, hands-on vehicle refinement through an integrated design, engineering, and testing facility, producing models like the Lexus TZ while also supporting community disaster preparedness.
Terms in This Story
- Nürburgring
- A famous and demanding racetrack in Germany used for vehicle testing and development.
- BEV
- Battery Electric Vehicle, a car powered entirely by electricity stored in batteries.
- Clay model
- A full-size physical model made of clay used by designers to visualize and refine a car's shape.
- GR Company
- Toyota's in-house performance division, Gazoo Racing, focused on driving enjoyment and motorsport-inspired vehicles.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.