Toyota Creates Crazy Wooden Car

Toyota Setsuna concept (Credit: Toyota)

Toyota has created a car made out of wood, and its actually pretty great looking. The Setsuna will be part of Milan Design Week in April, where it will show off just what the Japanese automaker is capable of when it really wants to make something compelling.

One of the most amazing parts of the Setsuna, which means “moment” in Japanese, is that the different wood components are joined together without nails or screws. A traditional joinery technique from Japan, called okuriari, was applied instead, and the result is striking.

Instead of the comparatively garish design of the Camry or Avalon, the Setsuna is more akin to boats than most cars. The body, which is made of cedar, flows from front to back. Not that you can see in the only promo photo from Toyota, but the frame is made of Japanese birch, and even the seats and floorboards are made of wood.

The whole idea of using wood to create a car is that it will change in appearance over time. That’s similar to the Peugeot Onyx concept from a few years ago, which had brass on the body that would oxidize and change in hue over time.

At least Toyota’s doing something different, instead of just dragging out the same old angry concept vehicle designs over and over.

In lieu of an internal combustion engine, Toyota went with an all-electric powertrain for the Setsuna. The electric motor is powered by six lead-acid batteries, which seems like an odd choice in the age of lithium-ion battery packs. Thanks to the old tech, range is a measly 16 miles, while the top speed is only 28 mph. In other words, this thing won’t hoon worth anything, but it does look good sitting still.

Toyota’s designers decided to add another curious feature to the Setsuna: a 100-year meter. It’s supposed to help keep track of the changes to the wood over time, which hopefully doesn’t involve any warping or cracking.