TOYOTA GAZOO Racing takes on Kuwait’s unique terrain as ‘5 Continents Drive’ starts final stage

• The team had stopovers in Subiya and Kuwait City as part of their country-wide itinerary

Kuwait City – 6 March 2019: Following the success of its expedition in Africa, TOYOTA’s GAZOO Racing has arrived in Kuwait for the final stage of its 5 Continents Drive project in Asia, which starts in the Middle East. As part of the itinerary, the team had stopovers in Subiya and Kuwait City.

The 5 Continents Drive has been introduced to help everyone at Toyota to develop vehicles that excite the company’s customers and exceed their expectations. The seven-year project of unparalleled scale that has the power to unite all of Toyota’s 370,000 members around the world, has now covered four of the world’s continents, since its launch in 2014.

To mark the start of this event Mohamed Naser Al Sayer & Sons held a press conference at their Ardiya Ballroom, which was attended by Mubarak Naser Al Sayer CEO, Bengt Schultz COO from ALSAYER Holding, Johan Heislitz Senior Business Director Toyota Sales, distinguished members from Toyota Motor Corporation lead by Toshiyuki Nakahara General Manager, Middle East & Central Asia Div., Engineering team from Toyota Gazoo Racing Team, student groups from leading Universities in Kuwait, Senior Members of the Management from ALSAYER along with representatives of the press and media.

Throughout the drive, around 24 members consisting of Toyota’s employees and Mohamed Naser Al Sayer & Sons covered a distance of around 250 kilometers across Kuwait. The team’s itinerary included driving across the country’s diverse and wide-ranging roads while experiencing first-hand the harsh conditions in which vehicles are used daily by Toyota’s customers. The Toyota convoy of Kuwait 5 Continents Drive included popular models including Land Cruiser, Prado, Fortuner, RAV4 and Rush.

Part of this event ALSAYER also organized an interaction session for Mechanical Engineering students from American University of Kuwait, Australian College of Kuwait and American University of Middle East. Students were offered the opportunity to present topics relevant to the field of Automobile following which they interacted with Toyota Gazoo Racing team covering topics such as safety, advanced technology in cars, Toyota hybrids etc.

Speaking during the occasion Mubarak Naser Al Sayer said “This event reflects the spirit of KAIZEN – which means continuous improvement which is one of the fundamental principles of Toyota. As part of this project Toyota Gazoo Racing teams have been traveling the world for the past few years, driving cars on different road surfaces to learn about new challenges for Toyota to make ever better cars that will put a smile on customers face.”

“On behalf of Middle East & Central Asia Division, TMC, I would like to express my sincere appreciation for your daily effort to get more and more customers’ smile in Kuwait. I also appreciate MNSS associates’ support for this 5 Continent Drive activity” said Toshiyuki Nakahara.

“Roads train people, and people make cars”; that ethos has been the backbone of the 5 Continents Drive project. It is about enabling employees to get out from behind their work desks to feel the road, to experience first-hand how vehicle performance is impacted by the wide variety of driving conditions around the world and to gather new insights. By connecting with customers in a meaningful way and listening to their feedback, Toyota can better understand their needs and usage patterns.

“We are thrilled that the 5 Continents Drive has embarked on a journey of discovery in Kuwait,” commented Abdullah Alshuwaie. “By experiencing the unique culture, climate, and harsh conditions in which Toyota’s vehicles are used, the drive will enable team members to gather insights into the value of Quality, Durability, and Reliability (QDR), which Toyota’s vehicles are famous for, and elevate it to the next level. Our customers have remained an abundant source of inspiration for our pursuit of creating better, cleaner and safer vehicles, and we cannot thank them enough for their continued support,” added Alshuwaie.

Reinforcing motorsports’ pivotal role in the development of future vehicles, the 5 Continents Drive project is being run under the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing umbrella, the global brand for Toyota’s motorsport operations. Kiichiro Toyoda, the founder of Toyota, once said that motorsports are vital to the evolution of car making and the entire auto industry. This belief has been passed down over the generations and embodied most recently as TOYOTA GAZOO Racing. It represents the company’s commitment to overcoming every limit in the pursuit of creating ‘ever-better’ cars through motorsports. The learnings and insights gathered at the very limits of performance are transferred into benefits for everyday driving.

The long-term continuous human resources development project commenced in Australia in 2014, then moved to North America in 2015, Latin America in 2016, Europe in 2017, and Africa in 2018. Since the project started, 556 members from inside and outside Japan have covered a total of 99,600 kilometers over a period of 399 days. The project sees the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 as a milestone and will endeavor to continue its activities until this major event takes place.