The Toyota MTRC

[flux]

So, I was trying to find out as much as possible about this open-wheeler.
It was kinda announced last year when GT4 Prologue became available in Japan - as one of the drivable cars.
Toyota presented it during the Geneva Motor Show '04 and gave us some facts.
Its length is about 4 meters, it's made as a vehicle capable of mastering city streets, off road and race tracks.
The chassis is automatically (or is this also user-controllable?) adjusting (up and down), landing-gear configurating and traction behavior is changing, depending on the current circumstances like road surface (scanned by sensors).

The MTRC's only door is a wing-like construction with a small windscreen on its upper side - the two seats are placed in one line behind each other.
It is powered by a fuel cell stack with four electric motors, implemented inside of each wheel.
This car has no instruments to provide the driver with vital information. Instead, he mounts a helmet (completely covering the head and acting as a protection) which displays all this information, along with additional inputs such as navigation data, track information, landing-gear configuration, tyre tremperature etc.).
In Toyota's words, this system called "Mixed Reality, is an important step in ways of active security", to help the driver be more precise in driving and navigating.
While this sounds like another non-sense commercial slogan, it really is something new to the average cardriver like you and me in my opinion.

Do you think Toyota is ever going to produce this car? Is there anything comparable for sale? Would anything change for Toyota if they actually produced the MTRC and it was auhorized for normal roads, not only race tracks.
I'm not sure if I'd buy one but i would definitely try it out at my car dealer.
I'd really like to experience how this thing works - but for the moment, it's only a concept.

Any additional infos are appreciated.

PS: Whoa, this forum has the best smileys! 👍

 

[Jay]

i would hate to have to replace those tyres

BTW Welcome to GTPlanet

 

[Duke]

The tires look like they're in bondage gear...

Car like this almost never get produced in any form. They really are just used as models to test different technologies which will appear in much more simple and reduced ways in mainstream cars. It is pretty cool, but I'm not sure I like the layer of artificiality the active helmet throws in between me and the environment. Landing a plane on instruments is one thing, but navigating a busy street is quite another.

 

[TS1AWD]

Originally posted by neon_duke
They really are just used as models to test different technologies which will appear in much more simple and reduced ways in mainstream cars.

I think some of the technology in this car would be really awesome to see come into production cars. Concept vehicles provide vital information for cars to come. You have to think logically tho, even tho all this seems out of a star wars movie, Alot of the technology in cars today were science fiction in cars 20 years ago. Who is to say that cars 20 years from now wont be like this one?

 

[audiracing]

Neon's right but still that's a pretty cool car.