Toyota redefines wood class: car made of japanese birch

the new setsuna from toyota is really a very special car: its chassis is made entirely of wood. With the concept study, toyota wants to show that wood develops a patina all of its own, which has its own value for car owners. This week this unique idea can be seen at the design week in milan.

If it weren't for the wheels, the Toyota Setsuna could pass for a boat. The car is made of wood, even the seats and the entire interior

If it weren’t for the wheels, the toyota setsuna could pass for a boat. The car is made of wood, even the seats and the entire interior.

If it weren’t for the wheels, the toyota setsuna could pass for a boat. The car is made of wood, even the seats and the entire interior.

Job search for engineers

„Nothing is impossible, toyoooota": who doesn’t know this pretty advertising slogan sung by two monkeys at the end of every corolla commercial in the 90s?. Now the japanese prove with their concept study setsuna that this slogan is still valid.

At the world’s largest design fair, design week in milan, toyota will be exhibiting the new setsuna from 11. Up to 17. April this unusual car before. The special feature: the setsuna is largely made of wood.

Japanese birch for the frame

Wood is not the material of choice in automotive engineering; at best, it is used for an elegant dashboard or a tactile steering wheel in expensive luxury sedans. Different for toyota. Japanese birch, among other materials, was used for the frame of the setsuna concept, which is a good three meters long.

Even the steering wheel is made of cypress wood using the traditional Japanese carpentry technique okuriari, which requires no screws or nails at all.

The exterior trim is made of local cedar wood. the noble design is rounded off by some aluminum parts, which aesthetically combine wonderfully with the wood optics. The setsuna concept car is an open two-seater, a roadster that measures 1480 mm in width and 970 mm in height. The curved chassis is somewhat reminiscent of a boat. From a purely visual point of view, only the wheels interfere with this association.

Setsuna can be described as "moment übersetzen

The name of the concept study is a play on words: setsuna is the Japanese word for "moment übersetzen. That’s exactly what the Setsuna is supposed to reflect: all the fleeting moments that people experience with and in their cars. And that over generations.

The setsuna is equipped with two electric motors and chugs through the neighborhood at 45 km/h. Currently, however, it has a very limited range of only 30 kilometers, because the setsuna is only a concept study.

Toyota redefines the wood class: a car made of Japanese birch

Toyota redefines wood class: car made of japanese birch tree

Toyota redefines wood class: car made from Japanese birch tree

Toyota redefines wood class: car made of japanese birch tree

Toyota redefines wood class: car made of Japanese birch

The wooden car represents "the gradual transformation of vehicles that, over the course of their life cycle, absorb the desires, memories and emotions of entire generations of drivers and their families", so toyota. „Through these experiences, the vehicle gains an individual value for each user.“ For toyota, wood is a durable material that changes color and texture, but with proper care can last for decades.

The setsuna is built entirely without screws and nails

Toyota has remained true to the wood tradition in the assembly of the setsuna concept and has turned to an old Japanese technique. „For the assembly of the individual parts we used the traditional japanese joinery technique okuriari, which does not require any screws or nails", explains project manager kenji tsuji.

even the hubcaps of the toyota setsuna are made of wood.

Even the steering wheel made of cypress wood was mounted using the okuriari technique. the toyota engineers think sustainable and intergenerational with the setsuna concept. the wooden wagon has a 100-year counter on board. This chronometer is meant to measure time for the generations for which the car was built.

concept car drives electrically and very slowly

But one thing is clear: the setsuna is primarily an advertising gimmick. the concept car presented in milan has a top speed of 45 km/h. the setsuna is driven by two small electric motors about whose performance data toyota is silent. this much is known: there are six lead-acid cells as batteries, which are otherwise installed in scooters, which move the setsuna from the place.

the setsuna currently travels 30 kilometers on this battery pack. There is still room for improvement, or as kenji tsuji says: "the car can still develop a complex and unique character over the years.“ nothing is impossible.

Almost entirely without metal: the wooden wheel by Japanese student Yojiro Oshima

Almost no metal: the wooden wheel by Japanese student yojiro oshima.

Source: musashino art university

This also applies to wheels made of wood. At least they have the chance that they can afford one. For example, the wooden load wheel raiooo or the aero wheel made of filigree birch wood slats. If you haven’t had enough of that, here’s an overview of the world’s most unusual wooden wheels.

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