When Toyota revealed its display line-up for this year’s Tokyo Motor Show, a very curious-looking concept in the form of the Toyota Kikai concept was listed alongside the S-FR sports coupe and C-HR.
There appears to be a design renaissance going on at Toyota at the moment, with all three models exhibiting increasingly unique designs from one another. Whether this represents the start of a complete overhaul of Toyota’s design, we’ll see.
Going back to the Kikai (‘machine’ in Japanese), we’ve managed to snap a few live photos of the car at Big Sight, and it’s just as crazy in the metal as it was when first revealed.
Built to highlight the intricate mechanical beauty of a car, where components are normally hidden behind panels, the Kikai is fitted with a hybrid powertrain. In fact, many of the car’s elements are plain to see, including the engine, suspension, exhaust piping, and fuel tank.
Even though the car’s components are exposed to the elements, passengers won’t have to endure the same while seated inside the highly rigid cabin made of CFRP (carbon-fiber reinforced polymer).
The three-seater adopts a seating configuration similar to that of the McLaren F1, with the driver occupying the centre, flanked by two rear passengers. Seeing out of the car certainly doesn’t look too challenging either, thanks to the application of large windows.
Other things which the driver will enjoy include a pair of windows located beside the driver’s foot area, analogue dials, and toggle switches. Ingress and egress is done via electric sliding doors.
Just by looking at the Toyota Kikai, this writer gets a sense of ‘Mad Max’ vibe to it, albeit in a modern context. What do you think of the concept?
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