Toyota Motor Corp. is gearing up to move the first 100 residents into its futuristic city, nestled at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan, as early as this fall. These lucky pioneers in Woven City will mostly be Toyota employees and their families. Over time, the population will gradually grow to around 2,000 as the city's initial phases roll out, Toyota shared on Monday.

"This year, residents will begin moving in as we slowly bring Woven City to life," Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda said during a press conference at CES in Las Vegas. "We aim to accelerate the pace at which new technologies can be tested and developed at Woven City." Toyoda first showed the idea of this "living laboratory" five years ago when he was still the president of Toyota.

The idea is to create a fully sustainable city that also shows off new technology like AI, advanced robots, self-driving cars, and smart homes. Sounds cool, right? But there is a problem: it won't be open to the public for at least two more years, and Toyoda himself said it might never make a profit.

"Will this Woven City make Toyota any money? Well, maybe not," Toyoda candidly said. "But as global citizens, I believe Toyota has a responsibility to invest in our collective future." A cornerstone of Toyota's broader Woven initiative is Arene, a new software platform and vehicle operating system designed to fast-track car development while slashing costs.

Woven's CEO Hajime Kumabe wasn't entirely on board with Toyoda's "maybe not profitable" remark. He pushed back, saying he envisions the project turning a profit someday-though he admitted it might be tricky to measure since its innovations will seamlessly weave into Toyota's broader auto production.

 Toyota plans to roll it out this year, with the goal of making it the backbone of its next-gen EVs starting in 2026. In 2023, Toyota brought in new leadership for its Woven subsidiary to steer the focus from research-heavy pursuits to hands-on production of next-generation vehicles-a sign that Woven City isn't just about dreaming big but also delivering results.