Toyota Touches the Future

     Here at the Auto Show, all of the major auto companies have a display. It's like the Rule 34 of cars: If you can think of it, it's here. One such company is Toyota, with their display area devoted to cars of all kinds, from sedans, to trucks, to even a special hybrid vehicle wrapped in livery advertising the upcoming special exhibit at the Shedd Aquarium. However, the real fun stuff at the Toyota area comes from their concept displays. First off, the Toyota FV-2, which looks like this:

     I chatted with one of the product ambassadors on the floor, and she told me that the FV(Fun Vehicle)-2 can be ridden either sitting down like a motorcycle, or standing up like a Segway. Either way, the transparent shell in front(the piece that is standing up in the picture) is intended to act as a windshield to protect the rider from the elements. Additionally, the exterior of the vehicle(as seen) can be customized to create different digital effects, ranging from a solid color to a dazzling array of different colors. Simply put, Toyota has created a Light Cycle:

     The resemblance is uncanny. But making Tron come to life isn't the only thing that Toyota is unveiling this week. Across the way from the FV-2, another Toyota Ambassador was on a car platform introducing the world to the Toyota FT-1:

     A couple of years back, Akio Toyoda(the President of Toyota), was thinking up ways to jazz up Toyota's current racing fleet. After commissioning his designers to come up with ideas, the results were blended into the FT-1, which was first put together by Calty Design Research in the virtual platform of Sony's Gran Turismo auto racing game. After several steps, the car was brought into the real world to symbolize Toyota's latest concept for the car of the future, appearing for the 2nd consecutive year at the Chicago Auto Show.

     Both the FV-2 and the FT-1 are merely concepts for now, with potential street dates not even on the drawing board as of now. Still, being able to show off these concepts to the viewing public is something the Toyota Ambassadors enjoy, as expressed by a gentleman named Daniel who was interpreting the FT-1. "[we're] showing people stuff they've never seen...[we're] here to talk about cars." Daniel and all of the other Ambassadors are doing just that, exposing people to the future of Toyota, right here at the Chicago Auto Show.