Inspired by Akio Toyoda, President of Toyota Motor Corporation, the Toyota 5 Continents Drive Project aims to make product improvements through a journey which traverses five continents of the world, with the hope of delivering even better cars to customers around the world.
A convoy of vehicles recently travelled through Malaysia, having started in the Middle East in February 2019. Asia is the last continent with the final stop being Japan when the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games begin.
For the Malaysian leg, the convoy kicked off with a visit to a Toyota dealership in Penang owned by S&D Tama, dealer. Akio Takeyama, Chief Motorsports Officer who is also the Deputy Chairman of UMW Toyota Motor, flagged off the convoy on 5th November.
The route included a drive up to Cameron Highlands, which then continued south to Singapore with a stop at Shah Alam, Selangor, where UMW Toyota Motor’s head office is located. The participants were briefed on the company’s background, activities, customer profiles, local market conditions and GAZOO Racing (GR) initiatives in Malaysia.
The 5 Continents Drive Project is carried out under the umbrella of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing initiatives. In Malaysia, the GR Brand is one of the key pillars of Toyota’s brand message.
“We are delighted that Malaysia is included in the Toyota 5 Continents Drive Project, a project that is of high priority to Toyota Motor Corporation,” said Takeyama. “The varied conditions of roads and traffic should provide the participants with valuable insights that can help them develop ever-better cars for our customers.”
“Toyota has always made reliable cars but today’s customers have more demands, so ‘good’ is no longer enough and we need to offer great cars,” said Ravindran K., President of UMW Toyota Motor. “The Toyota 5 Continents Drive Project should help towards developing ever-better cars.”
After the Malaysian leg ends, the convoy will cross over to Singapore. The remaining countries for the Asian leg are Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. In 2020, the 5 Continents Drive Project will continue through China and East Asia before ending in Japan.
