In an industry that uses lightweight materials like carbon fiber or aluminum in car construction, Toyota has chosen wood to create its newest design study.
A variety of distinctive types of lumbers were used on different parts of the car, including its exterior panels made from cedar, the frame built from birch, the floor and even on the seats, connected together without any nails or screws, using a traditional Japanese joinery technique called "okuriari".
The 3,030 mm long, 1,480 mm wide and 970 mm tall concept, with a 1,700 mm long wheelbase, is named the Setsuna, which means "moment" in Japanese. I
"With the Setsuna concept, Toyota is expressing the notion that, as a family accrues time and experiences together with their car, lovingly caring for it and passing it on to the next generation, that car will acquire a new type of value that only the members of that family can appreciate", said the manufacturer.
Underneath its wooden-made body, Toyota placed an electric motor, however, details on it are unknown. The company will display the new Setsuna Concept at the Milan Design Week, which starts on April 11 for the media, and one day afterwards for the public.