October 15, 2015
Great Scott! Believe it or not, this year marked the 30th anniversary of the original Back to the Future, whose theatrical release was on July 3, 1985. There’s another significant in Back to the Future lore: October 21, 2015, which fans may recall as the date Marty McFly and Emmett “Doc” Brown travelled to in Back to the Future Part II. So what does all of this have to do with the Toyota Mirai?
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of Back to the Future, Toyota reunited the film’s two stars, Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, to discuss the predictions the second movie made about the future—many of which turned out to be pretty accurate! As mentioned earlier, in Back to the Future Part II Marty and Doc travel to the then-future date of October 21, 2015, a date that (gulp!) is fast approaching. Coincidentally enough, October 21, 2015 is also the official on-sale date for the Toyota Mirai. And although you may not realize it, today’s Mirai and the DeLorean driven by Doc and Marty back in 1985 have quite a bit in common.
If you’ll recall, the DeLorean was powered by a Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor, which converted household waste into energy used to power the vehicle’s flux capacitor. As we learn in Toyota’s Fueled by Everything series, the fuel-cell powered Mirai can generate hydrogen fuel from renewable sources like solar, wind and biogas. While the Toyota Mirai can’t travel backwards and forwards in time—at least, not yet—it wouldn’t too much of a stretch to think of it as the embodiment of Doc Brown’s forward-looking commitment to alternative fuel sources.
While it’s been a little over 30 years since Back to the Future first debuted, Toyota has been working on a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle for decades, according to Bill Fay, Toyota division group vice president and general manager. Toyota’s retro-futuristic campaign for the Mirai came about practically by accident: the Toyota Mirai had already been scheduled for release on October 21 in select California dealerships when it dawned on Toyota’s marketing department that they had a golden cross-promotional opportunity on their hands.
“From a development point of view, there was nothing magical about that date other than that it coincided with the deployment of hydrogen fueling stations in the state of California,” said Doug Coleman, national marketing and communications manager for Toyota's advanced technology vehicles.
Once they realized that the release date for the Mirai coincided with the date when Doc and Marty went back to the future, they began developing an ad campaign starring the film’s two main protagonists. Just like the movies they were inspired by, the first video in the series is only part one of a continuing storyline. A series of Back to the Future themed videos will appear in the coming days, culminating with a final five-minute video timed for midnight on October 20. Here’s hoping you make it to the clock tower on time!
Incidentally, Back to the Future Part II did manage to predict an impressive number of technological and sociological innovations, from 3D movies to finger print technology. Among the ones Fox and Lloyd don’t cite in the video below: the rise of ubiquitous cameras, flat-screen TVs and computer chat programs. And while we still don’t yet know if this team will finally win the World Series this year, the possibility is certainly in play!
For more information on the Back to the Future inspired Toyota Mirai campaign, visit the Toyota USA Newsroom. Also, be sure to track of the deadline for Back to the Future Day!
Image Credit: Trope and Dagger