Wave Six: The Final Stretch of Toyota’s 60th Anniversary in Canada Cross-Country Road Trip
Sep 3, 2024
In celebration of Toyota’s 60th anniversary in Canada, the cross-country “Kanreki” road trip reached its final destination! Wave six of the drive – also seen as the final stretch - began in Calgary, AB and ended in Victoria, BC. The group of automotive journalists and Toyota Canada representatives were behind the wheel of the Toyota Land Cruiser, Crown Signia, Camry, Prius Prime, Grand Highlander, bZ4X and fuel-cell electric Mirai.
A very special RAV4 Hybrid was also added to the convoy. Picked up from Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada in Ontario, this 2024 RAV4 model was TMMC’s 11-millionth vehicle built at their facility – a remarkable milestone.
This portion of the road trip demonstrated Toyota’s multi-pathway approach to reducing carbon emissions and encourage the widespread adoption of cleaner mobility solutions. The first visit was at Gasoline Alley Museum in Calgary’s Heritage Park, which is also celebrating its 60th anniversary this year! Here, the group explored one of the world's largest public collections of pre-1950s antique vehicles and restored oil and gas-related artifacts. Once in Kelowna, the group stopped at the HTEC Hydrogen Refueling station to top up the Toyota Mirai for their drive ahead alongside members from HTEC.
Along the way, the group also heard from two carsharing companies that offer services in British Columbia, supported by a variety of Toyota vehicles: Evo Car Share and Modo Carsharing Co-op. Both organizations shared details of their business model and approach to affordable travel with a minimized environmental footprint. There were also visits to three Toyota dealerships, including Heninger Toyota, OpenRoad Toyota Richmond and Nanaimo Toyota, and Toyota’s regional office in Richmond, BC, where there were several heritage Toyota vehicles on display, courtesy of local enthusiasts.
The road trip officially concluded at the Mile 0 marker in Victoria, BC, where the group celebrated a memorable 9,000km cross-country journey, in celebration of Toyota’s 60th anniversary in Canada.