# Why Toyota and Apex Are Bridging Space and Racing Toyota's racing division and Apex are merging aerospace and automotive industries. - **Source:** [Fortune | FORTUNE](https://brifing.si/source/769282ef-327a-4454-909a-3c7936216004) - **Published:** 2026-07-14 - **Topic:** [Business](https://brifing.si/c/business) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/d4cb3de4-def2-4384-bcf8-250df2dd9f32 ## The Similarity Between Space and Race Tracks Satellites and race cars both operate in extremely harsh environments. On race tracks, cars endure heat, collisions, and mechanical stress, while satellites face radiation and airless conditions. In both cases, small miscalculations can lead to catastrophic failures. ## Toyota's Move into Space Jim Adler, founder of Toyota Ventures, believes the space industry can benefit from automotive expertise. Toyota's 2023 investment in Apex signals its view of space as the next growth frontier. Adler highlights the need to build 100,000 satellites in the next five years. ## Apex and TRD Collaboration Toyota Racing Development (TRD) has been working with Apex since 2025 to produce structural components for satellites. This partnership leverages automotive techniques to manufacture high-quality, scalable satellite parts. ## High Quality and Scalability Apex CEO Ian Cinnamon criticizes traditional aerospace manufacturing for its low-volume, bespoke designs. TRD's high-quality standards and scalable production techniques used for race cars offer an ideal middle ground for satellite manufacturing. ## The Future of U.S. Manufacturing This collaboration also contributes to revitalizing U.S. manufacturing. Cinnamon emphasizes the need to balance quality, production speed, and affordability. Achieving this balance could help the U.S. manufacturing base regain its strength. ## The Future of Mobility in Space Toyota's entry into the space industry demonstrates the automotive sector's potential contributions to space technology. Adler suggests space could be Toyota's next mobility frontier. This move could create new opportunities for both automotive and aerospace industries. ## Sources covering this story - https://fortune.com/2026/07/14/why-satellite-like-race-car-apex-toyota-racing-division/ — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._