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Here's Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama driving around in Toyota's i-Real personal-mobility device, telling guests "You will come to my school, learn to control your manufacturing costs, and eat fabulous sushi." (Photo Credit: TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images) More »
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Concept cars aren't just a chance for automakers to show us where they're going. In bolder times, they've been a platform for showing where they think the whole world is headed. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5345204&view=rss&microfeed=true One of Toyota's cadre of well-dressed reps present in Tokyo show us how the i-Real concept chair works. A promo video had just shown a freaky, albeit fictional, courtship ritual between two, blond Europeans who apparently met on their i-Reals, then gave birth to a several offspring, each of whom they named Herman Miller. Maybe we were projecting. Anyway, watch as Casual-san shows off the i-Real's maneuverability on the Toyota stage, before doing a 17-mph jump off a ramp and over a line of buses. There we go, projecting again. More »
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The Toyota i-Real concept chair proved an elusive target to photograph at the Toyota press conference yesterday here in Tokyo. In front of the chair and the stage stood throngs of Japanese press eagerly awaiting the emergence of Toyota chairman, Katsuaki "Ken" Watanabe, denying the shot to all but the highest-powered auto press photo lenses. Behind the i-Real and the rest of the concepts on display was what seemed to be an impenetrable wall of plastic sheets. Despite the odds, we managed to find one tiny chink in the plastic wall's armor. That's how we got the above shot, which stands as the best up-close shot of the day. But don't fear, all is not lost. We hear one of us got even more up-close and personal with the concept chair just a short while ago. Stay tuned. More »
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Despite the fact that it hardly resembles its namesake, noted actor and former congressional candidate Ben Jones, the Ecooter brings together some old technology in a surprising new way. By mounting its four wheels in a diamond pattern, rather than the traditional square, it's able to lean through high speed corners while swiveling around obstacles at low speeds. Basically it does the job that Nissan's Pivo 2 or Toyota's iReal are trying to do with about half the gizmos. A video follows the jump. More »
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Toyota's Tokyo Auto Show concept madness continues today with the i-Real "personal mobility vehicle" — it's a continuation of Toyota's whole personal mobility development that started with the PM, then following up with the i-unit and following through on the i-swing. The i-Real has three wheels and a short wheelbase in low-speed mode and lengthens the wheelbase at hgher speeds for more stability and we're assuming to lower wind resistance for the very strenuous speeds we're sure it will achieve. Probably it only gets up to Segway like speeds of 13 MPH, we mean, how bad would it suck to take a bird in the face in one of these things? Full mini-release after the jump. More »
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