Honored to be recognized by @MIT @techreview as one of the 50 Smartest Companies! https://t.co/B7S0q5Iovm pic.twitter.com/bN2VIoJhD3
— Toyota USA (@Toyota) June 22, 2016
To be named as one of the 50 Smartest Companies of 2016 by the MIT Technology Review is no small honor. Toyota finds itself as one of only two automakers among cutting-edge technology businesses, like the genetics-sequencing 23andMe, drone-delivery-developing Amazon, and "we'll live on Mars one day" SpaceX (the second automaker is Elon Musk's other company, Tesla).
How does a car manufacturer whose entire brand image is based on efficiency and reliability make it onto such an exclusive list of innovation rock stars?
In January, 2016, Toyota launched a new company focused on developing artificial intelligence, robotics, and self-driving cars, setting aside a $1 billion investment, and seducing robotics expert Dr. Gill Pratt away from DARPA to act as CEO. It is called the Toyota Research Institute.
MIT also pointed to Toyota's intensive work at developing one of the first mass-produced hydrogen-fuel-cell vehicles, the Mirai. Because of Toyota's collaborative atmosphere, research for the Mirai has already been applied by Toyota scientists in other fields, leading to a breakthrough in magnesium-ion battery technology.
Visit Marion Toyota to see how one of the world's smartest companies puts its innovation to work bringing you some of the most advanced vehicles around.
