Toyota has updated the 2017 Concept-i, giving it an
overwhelming amount of futuristic technologies and a new name: the LQ. Set to meet the public at the
2019 Tokyo Motor Show later this month before allowing them to experience it during
a test drive event scheduled to run from June to September, 2020, it looks
virtually unchanged, yet it does put the spotlight on new gear.
The highlight is the “Yui” artificial intelligence
agent that’s used to control pretty much everything while also creating a
pleasant environment for the driver and the three passengers. Those holding the
wheel can interact with the AI via voice commands.
Occupants will know when Yui is addressing them
thanks to the roof and floor mat areas that have been designed as intuitive
communication platforms, lighting up foot wells to indicate which passenger
it’s addressing.
Different lighting colors tell those inside when the
car is in manual or automated driving mode, as the LQ is equipped with a Level
4 autonomous system. It also features an automated valet parking function,
jointly developed with Panasonic, that eliminates the need to search for
parking spaces, dropping off occupants and heading to an assigned parking space
in the nearby lot and then picking them up again.
Another function co-developed with Panasonic is the
Augmented Reality Head Up Display that helps drivers keep their eyes on the
road. Seat alertness and relaxation functions, a world-first, is integrated in
the study and uses several inflatable air bladders embedded into the seats,
with in-seat air-con, helping drivers stay awake or relaxed.
For the instrument panel that wraps around the
driver, Toyota has used OLEDs, a first for the Japanese brand. Furthermore, the
show car has an air purification coating, jointly developed with Aisin, that
decomposes ozone into oxygen on the radiator fan. By driving, the LQ can
decompose about 60 percent of ozone contained in 1,000 liters of air in an
hour.
Installed in the headlights, the Digital Micromirror
Device is another futuristic function that works by activating one million
embedded mirrors to project figures on the road ahead, thus communicating
information such as the road surface to those inside or outside the car.
Toyota’s LQ Concept is 4,530 mm long,
1,840 mm wide and 1,480 mm tall, and has a 2,700 mm long wheelbase. It uses electric power and has a cruising range estimated
at 300 km.
