December 7, 2011
The Tokyo car show opened this week, which means we get to see what are called "Concept Cars" - automakers imagining what cars of the future look like, and what they will be able to do. I love new technology and gadgets, so this is always fun for me.
This year, everyone is talking about Toyota’s Fun-Vii. Vii stands for "vehicle interactive internet," and the car functions like a "smartphone on wheels." The doors of the car are touchscreens, so that drivers can change the way the car looks, communicate with people in other cars, and connect to the Internet while they are driving.
Imagine being able to call up a photograph on your phone, click it, and suddenly your car is wrapped with the photo.
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Or how about you touch the door and video text with the friend who you are meeting?
Perhaps best of all, they imagine that this car will have autopilot, with a virtual reality "co-pilot" who not only drives the car but also reads you your text messages, finds the nearest ice cream shop, or corrects your route when there is traffic ahead.
No one is actually making these cars right now - but it is not quite science fiction, either. Concept cars are based on the technology that engineers are developing right now, so they are almost like a glimpse of the future of driving.
What do you think? Would you like to have a car like this one? Why?
I wasn’t kidding about liking Cool Cars.
I even wrote a book about them!
Posted by: Seymour Simon
