Together for an Inclusive and Barrier-Free Sport
- Toyota began today the delivery of vehicles supporting Special Olympics Winter World Games Torino 2025 during an official ceremony at Toyota Motor Italia headquarters in Rome.
- The fleet, consisting of 140 electrified vehicles provided through car-sharing subsidiary KINTO Italia, including the new Toyota C-HR Plug-In Hybrid, the symbol of Toyota’s multi-technology approach, will support the event’s mobility needs, aiming to provide safe, sustainable, and environmentally-friendly transportation for stakeholders, staff, volunteers, and guests.
- The partnership aims to promote, through the values of sport, a society without barriers and discrimination, where everyone can face and overcome their challenges.
Rome, 13 February 2025 – Toyota, as a global partner of Special Olympics® and Mobility Partner for Special Olympics Winter World Games Torino 2025, has started delivering the first vehicles destined for the event, scheduled from March 8 to 15, 2025.
The fleet, intended to meet the mobility needs of this important international event dedicated to athletes with intellectual disabilities, aims to provide safe transportation with a reduced environmental impact for stakeholders, staff, volunteers, and guests. This support seeks to highlight the talent, determination, and ability to overcome barriers that Special Olympicsathletes exemplify with extraordinary strength and inspiration.
The delivery ceremony took place at Toyota Motor Italia headquarters in Rome, in the presence of Miroslaw Krogulec, Vice President of Sports at Special Olympics Europe Eurasia, Luca Dicillo, Sponsorship Account Manager of the World Winter Games Turin 2025 Local Organizing Committee, and Alberto Santilli, CEO of Toyota Motor Italia.
“By providing access to a fleet of vehicles during Special Olympics World Winter Games Turin 2025, Toyota Motor Italia is sending a powerful message via this sport event, of solidarity with people who are too often pushed to the margins. People with intellectual disabilities face roadblocks in nearly every aspect of life, and our global partnership with Toyota demonstrates that corporations can help make the world more accessible, inclusive, and respectful.” MIROSLAW KROGULEC, VICE PRESIDENT OF SPORTS AT SPECIAL OLYMPICS EUROPE/EURASIA
Luca Di Cillo, Sponsorship Account Manager, Local Organizing Committee for Special Olympics Winter World Games Turin 2025, stated: “Toyota Motor Italia is supporting efforts to deliver a world-class sporting event for people with intellectual disabilities. A multi-sport event like the World Winter Games requires heroic collaboration across industries. Toyota Motor Italia’s provision of a fleet of electrified vehicles represents a critical contribution to the World Winter Games, supporting transportation needs in a professional and sustainable manner.”
Alberto Santilli, CEO of Toyota Motor Italia, stated: “For us, it is very significant to begin the journey toward Turin 2025 with the delivery of this fleet of vehicles, bringing to life a collaboration where technology and values come together to support an event that celebrates inclusion and courage. The fleet made available to the Games represents our multi-technology approach at its best. Thanks to the combination of innovative and electrified technological solutions—Full Hybrid, Plug-In Hybrid, and Full Electric—we can offer sustainable, safe, and accessible mobility, designed to support the diverse mobility needs of our customers and major sporting events. Being alongside Special Olympics is for us a great source of pride: the athletes represent an example of determination, courage, and strength. These same values inspire us every day to develop technologies capable of improving quality of life and ensuring freedom of movementfor all, leaving no one behind.”
Overall, Toyota, through car-sharing subsidiary KINTO Italia, will provide 140 electrified vehicles, representing its multi-technology approach, which integrates advanced solutions—Full Hybrid, Plug-In Hybrid, Full Electric, and Hydrogen Fuel Cell—to meet diverse mobility needs with environmental sustainability and innovation. Among the models included are Toyota bZ4X, a fully electric SUV, Toyota RAV4 and Corolla Cross with Full Hybrid technology, Proace Verso Electric for group transport, and the new Toyota C-HR Plug-In Hybrid, equipped with fifth-generation hybrid technology and an electric urban range of up to 100 km.
The collaboration with Special Olympics, launched in 2020 as part of a global and European agreement between Toyota Group companies in Italy and Special Olympics Italy, is part of an established international strategy to promote a more inclusive society. Toyota has always been committed to promoting freedom of movement for every person, developing innovative technologies to enhance quality of life, minimize environmental impact, and advance sustainable and accessible mobility solutions.
