The 2015 Tokyo Motor Show is filled with a number advanced cars, like the fuel cell-powered Honda Clarity, to the autonomous Nissan IDS Concept. But the most eye-grabbing of the lot is perhaps the humble little Toyota Kikai Concept.
According to Toyota, the Kikai Concept “was designed to explore and emphasize the fundamental appeal of machines: their fine craftsmanship, their beauty, simplicity, and their fascinating motion.”
The word Kikai means machine in Japanese, and Toyota has designed the Kikai Concept in a way that the working part of the car gets integrated with the exterior. The fuel tank, reserve tank, and exhaust pipes, the analog-style meters and switches offers its bare mechanical nature.
With everything exposed, one can truly appreciate the way the upper control arm of the front suspensions are mounted to the car body. Another unique feature of the Kikai is the seating position, as the driver sits at the centre of the car. Toyota says that the centre seating “gives a more instinctive sensory connection with the vehicle’.
While the Toyota Kikai may never enter production, the concept certainly will inspire us to value the beauty of the mechanical aspects of a car.
