Olympics: mobility for all, Toyota recruits Italy's athletes
Rome - Freedom of movement and better life conditions for all, including people with more or less significant disabilities. This is the message of the new 'Start your impossible' Toyota campaign, launched in Rome today, before the President of the Olympic Committee, Giovanni Malago', the President of the Paralympic Committee, Luca Pancalli and the CEO of the Italia Group, Andrea Carlucci. Thinking ahead to the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang and the Tokyo 2020 Games, the 'Start your impossible' global corporate initiative will enable the Japanese car giant to position itself in the market as an all-round Mobility Brand. The 'Ambassador Team' is at the heart of the campaign: a group of Italian athletes from various Olympic and Paralympic sports, recruited by Toyota as new brand ambassadors. The group includes fencing champion Bebe Vio, Volley champion Ivan Zaytsev and Short Track champion Arianna Fontana, who will be Italy's flag bearer at the next Olympics. "A fully sustainable society should be able to overtake its own limits, using mobility systems that are not limited to automobiles and that enable free movement, without any social or physical obstacle" says the press release. Through the values of sport, Toyota plans to promote "a society which is free from discriminations, where everyone can face their challenges" thanks to new generation mobility services, transport solutions and high technology that work for people, even at home. In addition to Vio, Zaytse, Fontana (Short Track and Italian flag bearer at the forthcoming Pyeongchang Olympics), Paolo Lorenzi (Tennis), Andrea Pusateri (Cycling), Filippo Tortu (Track & Field), Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte (Figure skating), the Para Hockey Club Torino Tori Seduti (Ice Hockey), and Gabriele Detti (Swimming) will also be Toyota Ambassadors. "These athletes embody the true Toyota values, the application of the Kaizen spirit of continuous challenge, of overtaking one's own limits, of teamwork and respecting people" recites a note from the company. "I am particularly happy to be with Toyota, because I share the concept of overtaking limits that may look impossible, it is a principle of mine and of the Paralympic movement" declared Pancalli. "The history of Toyota is one made of passion, courage and innovation to make the impossible, possible" stated Andrea Carlucci, Chairman of Toyota Motor Italia. "We started with far away challenges: in 1997, when we introduced hybrid technology with the Prius, nobody believed we would have reached the results we got today. With Start Your Impossible, Toyota achieves an essential target: once again, we affirm that we are a Mobility brand that disseminates a concept of mobility that is all about cars, technology, innovation, artificial intelligence and robotics at the service of all people, including those with disabilities, to improve their lives".