The Automotive Troublemaker: Toyota's Last Olympics?

There’s less than 2 weeks left in July, and we’re already thinking about Toyota’s upcoming presence at the Olympics. Plus, we discuss if the US is poised to ban Chinese software in cars and the surprising places Gen-Z wants to work.

As the 2024 Paris Olympics are set to begin next Friday, Toyota is set to deploy 2,650  electric and fuel cell vehicles and 50 electric scooters to transport athletes, officials, volunteers, and spectators 

• In what may be their last year as exclusive mobility sponsor, Toyota will showcase 10 different applications of hydrogen fuel technology, including leasing hydrogen-powered city buses to Paris and supplying retrofitted coaches for Toyota's hospitality services. Over 1,000 Mirai hydrogen-powered vehicles will be used, with 500 for the official Paris 2024 Fleet. The Toyota Crown FCEV will be the marathon car, and a prototype FCEV Hilux will support equestrian events.

• This may be Toyota's final year under the $835 million deal with the IOC as reports indicate Toyota's dissatisfaction with how its funds were used by the IOC.

• More than 3 billion people tuned in to watch the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and viewership is expected to be higher in 2024.

• "This is truly the only time we have a global campaign across all distributors around the world," said Brock Cartlidge, manager of sports sponsorship marketing at Toyota.

The U.S. Commerce Department will propose new rules on connected vehicles next month, targeting software from China and other adversarial nations.

• New rules focus on key vehicle components and software management with an aim to ensure critical software is sourced from allied countries.

• Export Controls Chief Alan Estevez emphasized the security risks posed by foreign software in cars along with others hinting that the Biden animistation could take extreme action.

• The Chinese foreign ministry argues U.S. actions violate market principles stating Chinese manufactured vehicles are born in a fierce competitive market touting strong tech innovation.

• The Biden administration has proposed sharp hikes in tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and other goods that they expect to be in place by Aug. 1.

• Estevez stated, “A modern car has a lot of software in it. It's taking lots of pictures. It has a drive system. It's connected to your phone. It knows who you call. It knows where you go. It knows a lot about you."‍

Gen Z’s career aspirations are changing, with tech giants losing their allure. A National Society of High School Scholars survey of over 10,000 Gen Zers reveals the evolving preferences of America’s future elite professionals.

• Students prioritize companies that treat their workforce well, impacted by tech's harsh layoff practices while front-line worker heroism during the pandemic has made healthcare a top career choice.

• The top 10 are St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Mayo Clinic, Health Care Service Corp., Local hospitals, FBI, NASA, Google, Amazon, Apple, Disney

• Google dropped to No. 7, Amazon to No. 8, Tesla to No. 33, Instagram to No. 48, and Facebook to No. 94.

• The highest automotive interests were Tesla at 33, Mercedes Benz at 39, Ford at 62, Toyota at 79

• It’s worth mentioning that over 75% of  students are also interested in pursuing entrepreneurship at some point in their career

• Christine Cruzvergara from career matchmaking app Handshake noted, "They're using their full-time job as a safety net to make sure that they have steady income, that they're able to pay their bills, that they're able to save."