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Toyota Kids Mobi: The EV That Lets Your Kid “Drive” Before You Hand Over the Keys

Toyota’s booth at this year’s Japan Mobility Show felt more like a Pixar movie set than an auto expo. Between spider-like delivery bots and a six-wheeled Lexus minivan, the automaker’s lineup brimmed with ideas that could’ve rolled straight out of an animated future. But among all the robotics and rolling oddities, one little pod stole the spotlight — and plenty of hearts.

Meet the Toyota Kids Mobi, a self-driving, bubble-shaped EV designed exclusively for children. Framed as “safe and secure AI-powered personal mobility for kids,” it’s equal parts toy, tech showcase, and sci-fi fantasy brought to life.

The design looks like it was dreamt up by a team of engineers and preschoolers in equal measure. The smooth, pod-like body hides its wheels inside rounded fenders, and the front end wears animated LED “eyes” that blink and smile. Even the roof-mounted sensors are shaped like ears, giving the whole thing the charm of a cartoon sidekick.

Lift the upward-swinging canopy, and inside sits a snug single seat tailored for children up to 130 cm tall (about 4 feet 3 inches). Once your future commuter climbs in, the canopy seals shut and the car’s built-in AI companion — adorably dubbed the UX Friend — springs to life. The assistant chats, tells stories, and plays games during the ride, turning every trip into something between a lesson in autonomy and a Pixar short.

Despite being fully autonomous, the Kids Mobi still lets kids “participate” in the drive — a subtle way of giving them a sense of control without actually handing over any. “It’s not just adults who want to drive and enjoy some time to themselves,” Toyota explains. “Kids also want freedom of mobility. And just as adults have cars, kids deserve a trusty sidekick.”

Letting a child roll off solo in an AI-powered pod might sound like a Black Mirror episode waiting to happen, but Toyota insists the system’s goal is safety. In fact, the company argues that, one day, autonomous pods like this could be safer than a traditional school bus.

Of course, the Kids Mobi remains very much a concept — part of what Toyota calls the “ultimate goal” of its AI x Robotics Data Center. Translation: this is a research platform, not a production promise. But that doesn’t make it any less fascinating.

And the fun doesn’t stop there. Just a few feet away on the show floor, Toyota also unveiled Chibibo, a four-legged delivery robot with all the personality of a mechanical puppy. Designed to trot alongside people or vehicles, it can carry small parcels — or even a kid’s backpack — up stairs and through narrow alleys. When it’s not hauling, it crouches down in a resting pose like a loyal robotic pet.

If Toyota’s vision pans out, the next generation of school drop-offs could look a lot different: your kid zipping off in a bubble EV with their robot companion trailing behind. Until then, Kids Mobi is parked firmly in the concept zone — though show visitors can climb inside for a photo op and take home an exclusive keychain.

For now, it’s equal parts whimsical and weird, but unmistakably Toyota: always a few steps (and wheels, and legs) ahead in imagining how mobility might look when even the kids get their own ride.

Source: Toyota

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Toyota’s Homecoming Showdown: Rally Japan Set to Crown a Champion

Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team returns home this week with everything to play for and everything to celebrate. Rally Japan (November 6–9) isn’t just the final act of another long, bruising World Rally Championship season—it’s a victory lap for the team that’s already clinched its fifth straight manufacturers’ title, and a pressure cooker for the three drivers still locked in a knife-edge battle for the ultimate prize.

A Championship on a Razor’s Edge

Elfyn Evans arrives in Toyota City with a 13-point lead over his two heavyweight teammates: eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier and the prodigiously quick Kalle Rovanperä. The pair are tied for second after Rovanperä’s slick performance on the asphalt of Central Europe, setting up a finale that feels like a championship-deciding kart race in rally-sized chaos.

Evans has history on his side. He’s won the last two editions of Rally Japan, leading a Toyota 1-2-3 last year and a one-two finish the year before. But the Welshman knows better than anyone that Japanese tarmac is no playground. The stages—twisting, claustrophobic, hemmed in by dense forest—leave little room for error. “It’s not an easy rally,” Evans said. “Even when it’s dry, the margin for error is tiny. You just have to stay clean and keep your focus through what feels like an endless stream of corners.”

Ogier, ever the methodical tactician, is chasing one last push after a frustrating Central European round. “These roads are incredibly demanding,” he noted. “Narrow, technical, and with weather that can turn everything upside down. But we still have the speed—and the motivation—to fight for this one.”

Rovanperä, meanwhile, is approaching Japan with his trademark cool confidence. “The fans here are amazing,” he said. “I’m feeling really good with the car on asphalt, and hopefully we can keep that momentum. It’s going to be a fight to the finish.”

A Rally with Heart—and History

Since its return to the WRC calendar in 2022, Rally Japan has developed a reputation for being beautiful and brutal in equal measure. The event snakes through the mountain roads of Aichi and Gifu prefectures, near Nagoya, with stages so tight that the co-drivers’ pacenotes sometimes sound like medical instructions.

The service park, once again set at Toyota Stadium, will be the beating heart of the weekend. Thursday’s shakedown at Kuragaike Park opens the action before a full-blown welcome show in Toyota City. From there, the rally dives deep into the forest stages—Inabu/Shitara, Shinshiro, and Isegami’s Tunnel—before new sections like Obara and a Toyota City super special keep things unpredictable.

It’s a layout that tests precision as much as bravery. Crews who survive the narrow asphalt ribbons will end the rally near Okazaki on Sunday, with the championship still possibly hanging in the balance.

Home Heroes and Rising Stars

For local hero Takamoto Katsuta, Rally Japan is personal. The 32-year-old has carried the hopes of Japanese fans since Toyota’s return to the WRC, and he’s already shown his capability with a podium finish in 2022. “It’s my home rally—it means everything,” Katsuta said. “After our result in Central Europe, I’m confident we can push for something special here.”

He’ll be joined by Sami Pajari, stepping up to Rally1 machinery for the first time after taking the WRC2 title last year on these very roads. “These stages demand precision,” Pajari said. “They’re narrow, twisty, and unlike anywhere else in the championship.”

And then there’s the army of GR Yaris Rally2 entries—eight in total—making up more than half of the Rally2 field. Leading that charge is this year’s WRC2 champion, Oliver Solberg, alongside Spanish squad Teo Martín Motorsport and Japanese regulars including national champion Heikki Kovalainen, proving again that Toyota’s rally roots run deep, from global stars to grassroots icons.

A Celebration in Motion

Deputy Team Principal Juha Kankkunen, a rally legend himself, summed up the mood: “Rally Japan is always special for us. This year we go there with the manufacturers’ title already secured, but the fight between our drivers is still wide open. Any of them could win—and that’s exactly how we like it.”

In other words: don’t expect anyone to take it easy. With Toyota already crowned champion, Rally Japan isn’t about protecting points anymore—it’s about pride, precision, and maybe a little payback between teammates. On the slippery mountain roads outside Nagoya, every corner could write the next chapter of WRC history.

Source: Toyota

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Toyota Faces Explosive Allegations Over Mirai Hydrogen Sedan

Toyota, the automaker that helped define modern reliability, now finds itself at the center of a lawsuit that reads more like a crime novel than a consumer complaint. A new class action filed in California accuses Toyota of running what plaintiffs call a “criminal enterprise” designed to hide serious safety defects in its hydrogen-powered Mirai sedan. The requested damages? A staggering $5.7 billion.

Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California by the Ingber Law Group, the 142-page complaint invokes the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) — the same law once used to dismantle the mob. The suit alleges that Toyota, its financing arm, and several California dealerships engaged in a coordinated cover-up of what technicians reportedly described as “ticking hydrogen bombs.”

Hydrogen Dreams Turned Headaches

According to the filing, Toyota and its hydrogen partners concealed multiple flaws in the Mirai, including potential hydrogen leaks near hot engine components, posing an explosion risk. The plaintiffs also allege repeated instances of sudden power loss, erratic acceleration, and braking failures.

One Mirai owner reportedly pressed the brake pedal only for the car to surge forward. Others described multi-second delays between hitting the throttle and any response from the powertrain — a terrifying experience in traffic. In at least one case, dealership technicians allegedly told customers to seek legal action after experiencing repeated failures.

Adding insult to injury, Toyota Motor Credit Corporation, the company’s financing arm, is accused of “aggressive financial collection tactics” against affected owners. The suit also points to the limited and unreliable hydrogen refueling network in California, which remains the Mirai’s only viable market.

A Hydrogen Meltdown in Torrance

The complaint highlights a particularly damning episode at a Torrance, California, hydrogen station, which allegedly dispensed contaminated fuel that left at least 75 Mirais permanently inoperable. Plaintiffs claim Toyota failed to disclose the issue publicly, instead burying affected vehicles and compensation claims under corporate bureaucracy.

“This lawsuit isn’t about a simple defect — it’s about organized fraud,” said lead attorney Jason M. Ingber in a statement. “Toyota engineered, financed, and controlled California’s hydrogen network, then used that control to hide safety failures and financial harm to consumers.”

The RICO Angle: From Mobsters to Motors

Originally written to prosecute mafia bosses, the RICO Act allows plaintiffs to argue that a corporation engaged in a pattern of criminal activity. In this case, the lawsuit suggests Toyota operated a white-collar version of organized crime, using its corporate ecosystem — dealerships, financiers, and fuel partners — to disguise safety risks and protect profits.

The proposed class includes all Californians who purchased or leased a 2016–2025 Toyota Mirai in the past four years. Plaintiffs claim Toyota “ingeniously concealed catastrophic safety defects so their fraudulent scheme remains undetected.”

A Hydrogen Story Hollywood Never Wrote

If this all sounds like a sequel to Who Killed the Electric Car?, that’s because Hollywood never got around to writing the hydrogen one. For now, the Mirai remains a niche symbol of Toyota’s zero-emission ambitions — but this lawsuit could turn it into a case study in how not to launch an alternative-fuel future.

Toyota has not yet filed a response to the complaint. The company previously touted the Mirai as a technological triumph — the world’s first mass-produced hydrogen fuel-cell sedan — and a key part of its long-term carbon-neutral strategy.

But if even part of the lawsuit’s explosive allegations prove true, the Mirai’s future could look far less like a vision of tomorrow and far more like a cautionary tale about overpromising technology before the world is ready to fuel it.

Source: Reuters