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Toyota's Beautiful Inside-Out KIKAI Concept Car

"Machines should be objects of admiration"

By Rain Noe - October 21, 2015

in Cars

Finally, here is a concept car unlike any other! Toyota is getting ready to pull the sheets off of their KIKAI at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show, and it's a real socks-knocker; unlike the swoopy, enclosed concepts we're used to seeing, this one wears its mechanicals on its sleeve.

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As the products of human creativity, dedication, and knowledge, machines should be objects of admiration. The concept was designed to explore and emphasize the fundamental appeal of machines: their fine craftsmanship, their beauty, simplicity, and their fascinating motion. As a true concept car, the Toyota KIKAI's appeal is simultaneously free from and reliant on the core concepts of automobiles.

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This concept takes the machinery, normally hidden beneath the vehicle body, and makes an open display of its beauty. Directly expressed in this way, the vehicle's inner workings become part of the exterior.

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While the car has four wheels, the seating arrangement is 1+2, allowing you to bring a date and a third wheel whom you can make feel awkward.

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While this probably isn't great for road safety, lower windows in the cabin allow you to observe the upper control arms of the front suspension. "This provides a novel driving sensation," the company writes, "in which the machinery that supports the operations of cruising, turning, and stopping in ordinary everyday driving can be directly perceived with the senses."

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I am totally in love with this fuel gauge:

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I'm also loving the navigation dial, which shows you which way to go with a boardgame-style spinning arrow, illustrates your route with a simple Etch-a-Sketch-style line, and inexplicably gives you the distance in meters to the nearest sow.

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I'm not sure what "Kikai" means in Japanese, but I'm guessing it means "Difficult to clean."

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But I still want one.

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Sean Horita

9 years ago

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Would be interesting to know if this car as a "concept" embodies any Toyota Product Development System principles as important factors. Ah....probably not.

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Wayne Designer

9 years ago

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This is a retro nightmare... is this really a design blog?

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- Mark Thomas
  
  Wayne Designer
  
  9 years ago
  
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  There's no doubt this car embodies 'design'. Some may not like the style, but it's still got plenty design in it. I don't like the style of lots of stuff on this site, but I think the vast majority has design relevance.
  
  Fwiw, I also find the car a nightmare, though I appreciate a couple of the whimsical touches.
  
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jake bond

9 years ago

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I think the triangle on the fuel gauge refers to which side of the vehicle the fuel cap is located?

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jake bond

9 years ago

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The triangle on the fuel gauge refers to which side of the vehicle is located.

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Mark Thomas

9 years ago

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Yes, love the fuel gauge (not sure what the triangle means though.)

Also like the speedo. Does the exclamation mark mean "Don't travel less than 40kmh"?

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- Jason Pokines
  
  Mark Thomas
  
  9 years ago
  
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  The arrow points to which side of the car the fill nozzle is on. Next time you hop in your car, take a look at your gauge. It should have the same indicator.
  
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- Jason Pokines
  
  Mark Thomas
  
  9 years ago
  
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  And my guess on the <!| is that the person is driving with their hazard lights on. And indicating a right turn at the same time.
  
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