Recently, Toyota brought a concept car called Setsuna to the 2016 Milan Design Week.
Setsuna comes from the Japanese word “刹那” in Buddhist scriptures, which means a very short period of time. Sixty “刹那” in the blink of an eye, nine hundred births and deaths in a flicker, used to describe a very short period of time.
The Japanese believe that wood is the most durable material over time, and as time passes, its color and texture change. Humans have had cars for over a hundred years, and Toyota wants to explore the relationship between cars and humans through wood.
As a special family member, cars are carefully cared for by people, and some even pass them down to the next generation. A car embodies memories, emotions, and aspirations of a family, and under the inheritance among families, gives new value and meaning.
This is what Toyota wants to express through this car.
Setsuna has a body length of 3030 mm, which is slightly longer than the length of Mercedes’ smart model. Its width is 1480 mm, wheelbase is 1700 mm, and height is 970 mm. Its shape is like a ship and is made of 86 pieces of wood, crafted purely by hand, each part made from a different type of wood. The exterior car door panel is made from Japanese cedar, and the frame part is made of Japanese birch.
The engineer responsible for this project, Kenji Tsuji, said that Setsuna’s assembly still uses the traditional Japanese fine joinery technique called “okuriari”, similar to the Chinese mortise and tenon structure, and no nails, screws or glue are used in the entire process of fixing.
Powered by an advanced electric power system, the vehicle also comes with a Hundred-Year Meter to ensure its collection value.
From the photos released by Toyota, the Setsuna concept car is indeed a work of art, exquisitely crafted. While we are immersed in the excitement of future technology, Toyota has stopped to question the meaning of cars. What role do cars play in our lives? They are not just reliable tools that take us further, they are also indispensable family members that embody memories and stories of the past, present, and future. Cars are a cherished and reliable companion, and the warmth of wood brings us closer to our vehicles.
Toyota hopes to showcase their design philosophy and craftsmanship through this concept car. Without a doubt, the Setsuna concept car has left a very deep impression on us.Period for the exhibition at Milan Design Week is from 11th April to 17th April.
Possible keywords include:
Tesla electric vehicles, Google self-driving technology, Elon Musk, autonomous driving, BYD, batteries.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.