Despite the unexpected start of the project, a year later, in February 2021, Akio and his team proved that the dream associated with Woven City was coming true. On February 23, which in Japan "Mt. Known as Fuji Day, the groundbreaking ceremony marked the start of its construction.

To mark the change, Woven City released a video message to partners around the world about future collaborations.

It begins with the beauty of Mount Fuji, which is the city's inspiration, and talks about Toyota's purpose in building the city.

A year ago, Akio Toyoda stood on stage at CES in Las Vegas and told the world about a project called Woven City.

Their dream was to create a place where people live, work and play in a real-world laboratory. Where researchers, engineers and scientists from all over the world gather to test and develop new technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence and more.

Akio Toyoda thanked everyone involved in the process. He said that the groundbreaking ceremony was the result of a year of hard work and effort, which was made even more difficult by the pandemic. 

He felt an obligation to live up to expectations and keep Toyota moving forward, not only for his countrymen but also for employees and customers around the world. He is proud of Toyota's development and believes it can achieve even more. To do this, they must come together as a global community and create new opportunities for growth, learning and a shared future. Despite the ambitious dream, and the fact that there are skeptics and believers, Akio Toyoda believes that there are people who really want to change their lifestyle.

He said that Toyota is committed to the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and hopes that Woven City will provide people with a unique opportunity to create technology that will help achieve these goals. He also noted that if it were up to him, he would add happiness to the list of the 18th SDG goal .

Because no matter where we live, happiness is something everyone wants and deserves. He wants it to be the goal and guiding light for everything that is built and created in the Woven City.

80 years ago, his grandfather founded Toyota with exactly the same ambition. He wanted to give the Japanese people something that didn't exist yet - a Japanese car. Something that would make their lives better and happier. Believed that Toyota should contribute to society. He had no idea how big that responsibility could be, but even now, Woven City's DNA comes from him.

Akio Toyoda thanked all Toyota customers and employees for their support. According to him, projects like Woven City were an opportunity to show gratitude. It was a new chapter in history, industry and future.