As a partner of the Paris 2024 Olympics, Toyota made its first vehicle deliveries of its fleet on March first. It was the opportunity to unveil the graphic design created especially for this global event.
The handover ceremony took place at the Paris 2024 headquarters, in the presence of Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024, Yoshihiro Nakata, President of Toyota Motor Europe, Frank Marotte, President of Toyota France, and Didier Gambart, President of KINTO Europe. Toyota’s first vehicles, including the Mirai, sported a new visual identity for the occasion.
The Japanese manufacturer wanted to combine the graphic elements borrowed directly from the “look of the Games” ( shading, stripes, dots, etc.), itself inspired from symbols of French culture and lifestyle, with its multi-energy approach, and the colours of the vehicles were chosen accordingly. Blue for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (a colour symbolising water, the only emission from this type of vehicle during driving), green for battery electric vehicles (a colour symbolising nature and therefore the eco-friendly nature of this type of engine), and purple for auto-rechargeable hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles (which happens to be the third colour of the Paris 2024 competition venues).
An energy mix
Overall, Toyota will provide over 2,650 electric vehicles during the Paris 2024 Olympics, including 150 wheelchair-accessible vehicles. Around 60% of the fleet will be electric, including battery-electric models such as the Toyota bZ4X, Proace and Proace Verso, as well as the Lexus RZ. And of course there will be the fuel cell Mirai. The company will be supplying 500 units of its hydrogen-powered sedan. By the end of the Games, these will have joined the existing fleet of hydrogen-powered Paris taxis, whose number will have more than doubled reaching a number of 1,500 vehicles.
Toyota is also providing around 1,000 hybrid (HEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles, notably the RAV4, the company’s world sales champion in HEV and PHEV models, as well as the Toyota Corolla TS, Yaris Cross and Highlander, all featuring hybrid technology. In addition, the official fleet will be complemented by vehicles connected via Toyota’s KINTO car-sharing service, which will provide the Olympic and Paralympic teams with even greater travel flexibility.
Finally, the Japanese car manufacturer will supply 700 electric “last-mile” mobility solutions. These solutions will include 250 APMs (Accessible People Movers) redesigned for Paris 2024 and produced in Europe.
“At Toyota, we are delighted to embark on this journey with Paris 2024, exemplifying our commitment to pioneering sustainable mobility solutions,” stated Yoshihiro Nakata, President and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe.
To learn more about Toyota, you can check out our articles here.
You can also follow us on LinkedIn for regular content and updates!
Article written by Laurent Meillaud and translated by Mariem Ben Tili
