This is the Toyota LQ, a concept vehicle that uses advanced technology to 'build an emotional bond between car and driver'. It will feature as part of the 'Future Expo' display at the Tokyo Motor Show this month.
Interactive agent
The LQ is fitted with automated driving capabilities and something called Yui, an AI-powered 'interactive agent' designed to learn from its driver and deliver a personalised motoring experience. Other features of the battery-electric machine (which has a maximum 300km cruising range on a single charge) include an augmented reality head-up display and a driver's seat with both alertness and relaxation functions.
Daisuke Ido, the development leader for the LQ, said it was the next generation of the Toyota Concept-i that was unveiled at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show, adding: "In the past, our love for cars was built on their ability to take us to distant places and enable our adventures. Advanced technology gives us the power to match customer lifestyles with new opportunities for excitement and engagement. With the LQ, we are proud to propose a vehicle that can deliver a personalised experience, meet each driver's unique mobility needs, and build an even stronger bond between car and driver."
Cleans up ozone
Following its Tokyo debut, the LQ will participate in a public test-drive event called Toyota Yui Project Tours 2020, due to run from June to September next year.
Other advanced equipment and technology that the punters on the 2020 tours will get to experience in the LQ are: human-machine interface (HMI) functions that are located in the roof and floor mat areas; a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) in the headlights, which can activate one million tiny embedded mirrors to project complex figures onto the road ahead; an Organic LED (OLED) dashboard and instrument cluster; a 3D-printed centre console; and an air-purification coating on the radiator fan that can decompose ozone into oxygen - as ground-level ozone is a key cause of photochemical smog. Toyota reckons that, using this, the LQ can purify about 60 per cent of ozone contained in 1,000 litres of air over the course of an hour's drive.