With the beginning of the Asian stage underway, Drive Project has traversed six Middle Eastern nations: Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE. As they drive each country, our drivers have been amazed by the various roles cars serve on the region’s roads. In fishing villages, they tug boats. Out in the wilderness, a car’s performance can mean the difference between life and death. Yet there are also places along the Drive Project route where the concept “fun to drive” is well appreciated.
Our team drivers got to experience the roads of the Middle East through intense stimulation of all of senses. A level of perception that would never have been possible on test courses. But Asia is vast. The 5th Continents Drive Project has just begun.
Around 20 DAYS, starting February 20 through March 11.
3,500km in total across the following countries.
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sultanate of Oman, State of Qatar, State of Kuwait, Kingdom of Bahrain, United Arab Emirates
Land Cruiser 200, Land Cruiser Prado, Hilux, Fortuner, Avalon, FJ Cruiser, Camry Hybrid, Camry HEV, RAV4、Rush, Mirai, Prius PHV, Lexus LX570
Approximately 40 consisting of employees from Toyota Motor Corporation and local affiliates.
A nerve-racking commotion. In the bus taking us from the airport to the hotel in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, we were already awed by the commotion. The car that suddenly cut in front of us without so much as a turn signal made me unwittingly brace for impact, and I let out an involuntary cry at seeing how close the cars were to each other. The Drive Project…
A lifeline road deep in the mountains of Oman. The first day of the Drive Project in Oman, we headed for a dry riverbed, called wadi in Arabic. Many people come here from urban Muscat for leisure and recreation. The highway was c lean and high grade, e ven compared with ones in Japan. We went from the highway to an unpaved road that took us into the mountains.…
The cars needed in rapidly changing cities. The Drive Projec t team spent a whirlwind week driving through several countries. Concentrating on the roads during our short stay, we searched for hints on how to make ever-better cars by observing the way people live their lives. Yasunari Fujii of the Lexus Body Engineering Division peppered the local…
The cars demanded by new roads. The UAE was the sixth and final country in the Middle Eastern leg of the Drive Project. In Abu Dhabi we inspected the vehicles like we always do. We take a careful and pragmatic approach even f or tasks that we repeat day after day.…
