A lifeline road deep in the lived in this severe environment. soccer by the side of the road, while “For them, this road is their a goat was climbing up the rocks in mountains of Oman. lifeline. It was sobering to know jumps. Yoshimi felt a fierce pride in that and then see an old Hilux being a part of making cars that The first day of the Drive Project in parked in front of a house. On the could handle this tough environment. Oman, we headed for a dry riverbed, highway it was the small things I Learning that cars are used in called wadi in Arabic. Many people noticed, like the sound of the wind inconceivable ways. come here from urban Muscat for whistling and the car’ s vibration, leisure and recreation. The highway but when you’ re on this unpaved Beyond imagination was clean and high grade, even road, the basic car functions compared with ones in Japan. We become so much more important. A Car Usage went from the highway to an unpaved breakdown would be the worst road that took us into the mountains. scenario out here. Driving along We headed south from the rugged When locals can’ t see around an hugging a cliff, rocks could come rocky region to the seashore. The upcoming curve, they honk their horn falling down at any time. It made rocks turned into fine sand, and we to make sure another car isn’t me really think how, more than saw fishermen use a Hilux to haul coming around the bend. Magnificent anything, we have to make cars their boat filled with fish out of the scenery unfolded the farther into the that don’ t cause people to worry.” water. The sand continued to the mountains we drove. Hiroshi Yoshimi Water was flowing from a spring at base of the mountains, where it of the Tahara Plant Quality Control the lowest part of the wadi, which turned into a desert. Tomohiko Division, who was on his first trip people used to grow dates and other Hayayama, who works in the same overseas, was surprised that people crops. Barefoot children were playing Tahara Plant Quality Control Division
02 and got stuck the first time he drove trap of thinking that customers “The desert always teaches you in the desert, learned firsthand how don’t use their cars well, but I something new.” The Drive Project the locals use their cars in ways realized that it’ s us who are at fault members experienced the inconceivable to him. A Fortuner built for not being able to picture how significance of his words firsthand. with the engine he works on at the people use their cars.” Tahara Plant got buried in the sand. What the two members from the Oman’ s diverse environment “My first thought was ‘What? This Tahara Plant both learned was how is all it takes to make a car stop?’ I much trust people put in the Toyota requires attention to detail. think there are definitely times vehicles they drive. It was worth when people need to use maximum going deep into the mountains of We left the desert and headed to acceleration too. Driving situations Oman just to find this out. the highest peak in Oman. We were we typically call going past the red Local member Lavin Kaveriappa climbing up a mountain over 2,300m zone are also situations that could goes driving in the desert for fun above sea level in off-road conditions. happen here. We often fall into the almost every week. He comments, While we were driving slowly with safety uppermost in mind, a school bus came barreling up from behind and passed us. This road is another lifeline road. Oman’ s topography is diverse, and it’ s easy to understand why people here need cars that can handle any kind of terrain, meaning the Land Cruiser. Toshiyuki Sekiya of the Advanced Technical Skills Institute, who has participated in every Continent, is proud at how the Land Cruiser and the Prado are widely accepted, but also found things to asking what the Middle East needs, Qatar improve that would make them ever if we pursue the commitment to 2.28 better cars. detail that is Toyota’ s vision, Doha “I’m a little concerned about customers here will surely come to brake and accelerator control at admire our cars even more.” Muscat United Arab Emirates 2.24 low speeds. There are a lot of After coming down from the 2.27 speed bumps, and driving on mountain, we returned to Muscat on Nizwa 2.25 2.26 Sur mountain roads with a lot of curves the beautiful highway, whose you can’ t see around really made condition shows little wear thanks to Saudi Arabia me realize it. Seeing how the locals the little rainfall the region receives. Oman drive too, they seem daring behind Local member Nitin Fernandes says the wheel but they’re actually with a laugh, “You’ve still only seen performing a delicate dance five percent of Oman.” We headed between the accelerator and the to our next destination of Qatar with brake when driving. So instead of some regret at having to move on.
Distance: 1,341km Duration: February 24-28, 2019 Days: 5 days Vehicles: Land Cruiser 200, Fortuner, Prado, Hilux, Lexus LX570