At Milan Design Week/Salone del Mobile.Milano next month, Toyota will present the Setsuna prototype, a concept car built from wood. The decision to use wood - a material that is durable but prone to transformation - reflects Toyota's efforts to strengthen the bond between people and their cars. The Setsuna concept symbolizes how cars have changed over the years, how they encapsulate the aspirations, memories and emotions of several generations of a family. With this concept, Toyota wants to convey that just as the family lovingly cares for the car, the car will acquire a different kind of value that only family members can appreciate.
The car's name - Setsuna means "moment"in Japanese - was chosen to highlight the fact that people have precious yet fleeting moments with their cars. Toyota believes that, over time, these moments shared with family will make the car irreplaceable for the owner.
To embody the concept, Toyota chose a variety of woods for different parts of the car, including its exterior, chassis, floor and seats. Wood has unique and attractive characteristics that are not offered in ordinary cars. It - wood - can live for many generations if well maintained, but at the same time it can change its color and texture in response to the environment (especially temperature and humidity) and conditions of use. In this way it brings a certain character and depth.
To embody the concept, Toyota chose a variety of woods for different parts of the car, including its exterior, chassis, floor and seats. Wood has unique and attractive characteristics that are not offered in ordinary cars. It - wood - can live for many generations if well maintained, but at the same time it can change its color and texture in response to the environment (especially temperature and humidity) and conditions of use. In this way it brings a certain character and depth.
Kenji Tsuji, the Toyota engineer overseeing the development of the Sesuna project, said, "We evaluated different ways to express the concept and selected different types of wood, such as Japanese cedar for the exterior and Japanese birch for the chassis. We were also very careful about the dimensions and arrangement of the individual elements. For the assembly structure we adopted a traditional Japanese carpentry technique which is called okuari and doesn't use nails or screws. The Setsuna's body line is a beautiful curve that makes you think of a boat. We would also like the viewer to imagine how the Setsuna will develop a unique and complex character over time. The car has a built-in 100-year memory clock that will show the time over generations. Also in the car are seats that combine functional beauty with the soft nuance of wood," said Kenji.
For those who want to see the car live, they can do so from April 12 through April 17. April 11 is reserved media day.
More technical details here.
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