Toyota Canada wraps up cross-country “Kanreki Tour”

• Coast-to-coast tour visited every province as Toyota celebrates 60 years of contributions to Canada’s social and economic fabric


• Stops included significant sites from Toyota Canada’s past and glimpses into the company’s future

TORONTO, Ontario (September 4, 2024) – Toyota Canada marks 60 years in Canada this year – and to celebrate this important milestone, the company recently wrapped up a cross-country road trip that highlighted some of the key people, locations and stories from throughout its six decades in Canada.

“In Japan, turning 60 is known as Kanreki – a time to reflect on one’s life so far and plan for the years ahead,” said Stephen Beatty, Corporate Secretary, Toyota Canada. “Over the past three weeks, we’ve celebrated our Kanreki by driving across the country - from Atlantic to Pacific - to visit and recognize many of the countless Canadians who’ve contributed to our success over the past six decades.”

The tour started at Canada’s Eastern “Mile 0” in St. John’s, Newfoundland on August 11 and wrapped up on August 30 at the Western “Mile 0” in Victoria, British Columbia. The 9,000-kilometre drive was broken into six waves, each hosting a group of Canadian automotive journalists driving most of the wide range of vehicles Toyota sells in Canada today. Some of the highlights included:

• Wave 1 – from St. John’s, NL to Halifax, NS – featured a stop at Point Edward, NS, to visit the location of the first Canadian assembly plant to build Toyota vehicles.


• Wave 2 – from Halifax, NS to Montréal, QC – included a stop in Charlottetown, PEI and visits at several dealerships in New Brunswick and Québec that have been part of the Toyota family for decades.


• Wave 3 – from Montréal, QC to North Bay, ON – featured a stop at the Ingenium Centre in Ottawa to view the first Toyota Prius tested in Canada back in 1998. In a full-circle moment, Wave 3 participants were driving the 2024 Prius – AJAC’s Canadian Car of the Year – that day. Later, in Cambridge, the tour stopped at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC) for a plant tour, where the 11 millionth vehicle manufactured by TMMC – a white RAV4 Hybrid Woodland Edition – joined the tour for the rest of its drive to Victoria.


• Wave 4 – from North Bay, ON to Winnipeg, MB – highlighted how Canadians use Toyota vehicles as tools for different needs, from mining and other industrial uses to outdoor hobbies such as fishing and ATVing.


• Wave 5 – from Winnipeg, MB to Calgary, AB – included a visit to the Headingley Grand Trunk Trail – part of the Toyota-sponsored Trans Canada Trail. After driving across Saskatchewan, this wave included a stop at the Edmonton International Airport, which is becoming a regional hydrogen hub - and using Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles - to help reduce carbon emissions from transportation.


• Wave 6 – from Calgary, AB to Victoria, BC – included a stop at an HTEC hydrogen fuelling station in Kelowna to learn about the important role hydrogen is poised to play in the electrification of transportation. Wave 6 also stopped at OpenRoad Toyota in Richmond to learn about the company’s Kinto car-sharing program, which partners with Uber and features Toyota electrified vehicles including the Mirai and the battery electric bZ4X.

Besides the “official” stops, the tour took time for photos at popular Canadian road trip attractions – from the World’s Largest Lobster in Shediac, New Brunswick to the Wawa Goose Monument in Ontario, to the World’s Largest Dinosaur in Drumheller, Alberta.

“The past 60 years have been an incredible journey for Toyota in Canada, and our Kanreki Tour was a wonderful opportunity to reflect on six decades here,” Beatty noted. “It was also an opportunity to reiterate our commitment as Canada’s car company - and to Canadian drivers from coast to coast to coast – for the next 60 years and beyond.”

About Toyota Canada Inc.

Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) is the exclusive Canadian distributor of Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Toyota has sold over six million vehicles in Canada through a national network of 287 Toyota and Lexus dealerships. Toyota is dedicated to bringing safety, quality, dependability and reliability to the vehicles Canadians drive and the service they receive. TCI’s head office is in Toronto, with regional offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Halifax, and parts distribution centres in Clarington and Vancouver. Toyota also operates two manufacturing facilities in Canada. Having produced more than 11 million vehicles, popular Canadian models built at these facilities include Toyota RAV4, Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus RX 350 and RX 450h hybrid, as well as Lexus NX 250, NX 350 and NX 350h hybrid. The company has sold more than 20 million electrified vehicles worldwide and is the number one seller of electrified vehicles in Canada.