Although these days carbon fibre and lightweight aluminium are the de rigeur materials for carmakers, Toyota is to unveil a new concept car made only of wood.
The Japanese manufacturer has built its unique concept, called the Setsuna and due to debut at the upcoming Milan Design Week, from 86 hand-crafted panels of cedar mounted on a birch frame.
Built using a traditional Japanese joinery technique known as ‘okuriari’, the car uses no nails or screws and instead relies on perfectly carved joints to maintain its structural integrity.
28mph top speed
Crafted to look like an old open-top roadster, the Setsuna is powered by six electric batteries, which give it a range of up to 16 miles and a top speed of a rather placid 28mph.
However, speed wasn’t the object of the concept’s design according to Kenji Tsuji, the Setsuna’s lead designer; instead, it’s supposed to make its driver feel more connected to the car.
He said: “When we created the Setsuna, we envisaged a family pouring its love into it over generations so that the car gains an irreplaceable value.
Unique hand-crafted design
“Continuous development is possible in the form of bonds between the car and the family, like the growth rings of a tree.”
Durable but prone to change over time, the wooden car concept is meant to demonstrate the developing relationships between people, their cars and each other, Toyota added.
The name itself, Setsuna, is designed to express the Buddhist concept of time and is intended to remind its owner to live every moment to its fullest potential.
Zen-inspired concept
Even the dash-mounted dial counts time in hours, days and years up to 100 years in the future, designed as a Zen exercise to encourage the driver to value the experience of driving rather than just clocking up the miles.
Unfortunately, as cool as it is, the Setsuna has been built exclusively for Milan Design Week and is not authorised for road use, so don’t expect to see one parked in your driveway any time soon.
