Japanese automaker Toyota is “exploring rockets,” chairman Akio Toyoda Announced on stage at CES 2025 Monday, while hinting at the idea of moving humans through space.
The rocketry reference came on stage at CES 2025 when Toyoda was in the middle of explaining how he sees his company's myriad technologies as “Kakezan's innovation” or “innovation by quality.”
“When you work together what's possible, the sky's the limit,” he said. After a dramatic pause, he continued: “And speaking of the sky, we're also exploring rockets. Because the future of mobility shouldn't be limited to just Earth, or just a car company” — a possible dig at Tesla, whose CEO Elon Musk is the founder of SpaceX. and the CEO.
Toyoda did not provide any details other than to show a stage rendering of a rocket initially designed by Interstellar Technologies, a private Japanese spaceflight company that is working on a small launch vehicle designed to put satellites into space. After the conference, Toyoda and other executives elaborated on the idea, telling TechCrunch that the company is working with Interstellar Technologies to explore what kind of telecommunications network should be deployed to meet the needs of Oven City, a prototype city located on a 175-acre foothills. Mount Fuji is designed as a living laboratory. Toyota first announced plans to build the city in 2020 and It was announced on Monday Phase 1 is now open.
“When you think about cars that are going to be constantly moving, you need to have proper telecommunications,” Hajime Kumabe, CEO of Toyota by Oven, told TechCrunch during a media briefing. “This means that communication should not be interrupted, not interrupted, and that seamless communication is what is achieved.”
He also noted that the woven city's location is mountainous, making it appropriate to explore what would be the appropriate communication network infrastructure to support autonomous vehicles.
Executives confirmed Owen by Toyota has invested 7 billion yen, or about $44.3 million, in Interstellar Technology.
Spaceflight is a wild idea to tease at the end of a press conference, although there is some precedent for such a move. sony Surprise-announced it's working on an electric car at CES five years ago and barely got more than a few minutes of stage time.
Toyota, meanwhile, has been criticized over the years for its overly cautious stance on electric vehicle development. Now that it doesn't look like a prescient move as major automakers scale back their ambitious plans for electrification, Toyota simply has its eye on a different prize — space.