Toyota worked together with a team of students from the
International Center for Automotive Research at Clemson University, and
introduced a concept car named uBox. This car is a unique van that's designed
for Generation Z, i.e. the consumers who are born between the mid-1990s until
the 2010s. The majority of them are in their late teens, they are potential
buyers and the owners of future cars.
The team was working the uBox for two years. In determining
the design, Toyota and Clemson imagined a favorite way of young people today
for moving from one place to another place with friends. It turned out they
liked the sharp and box design, the front and rear doors that open in opposite
directions (suicide doors), LED circuit, and a glassed cabin.
Toyota uBox is basically a utility vehicle for five
passengers, with components that can be customized. Users can choose the color
of the air vents, cabins, and trim; the new design can be downloaded and
printed via a 3D printer. The car seats are removable to provide additional
space. The idea is pretty wild, but the approach frees the owners to express
their characters, and keep the car's appearance remains up-to-date to the
following years.
The modern people can hardly live without smart gadgets, and
Toyota understands this, to make sure that users can get access to a power source;
uBox is equipped with 110-volt power outlet that's taken from the powertrain.
Unfortunately the information related to this feature is still fairly minimal.
Toyota just said that uBox will utilize full-electric motor.
To support the glass roof, Toyota utilizes the structure
that's made of a combination of carbon fiber composite material and aluminum,
and this concept version is handmade. uBox is a part of Toyota's Deep Orange
project which is intended as a forum to allow students to explore the
automotive development field - ranging from market research and design, up to
engineering and production process.
Toyota explained that the target of uBox is the young
entrepreneurs who need a versatile vehicle which’s capable of supporting the job,
lifestyle and recreation.