The wooden car by Toyota (and our bamboo buggy)

I have one question though. What about bamboo? Wood is wood, but bamboo is better.

-JH

Toyota has just created a wooden car to be launched at Milan Design Week in April.

From the press release:

“Kenji Tsuji, the Toyota engineer overseeing development of the Setsuna, said of his process: “We evaluated various ways to express the concept and selected different lumber materials for specific applications, such as Japanese cedar for the exterior panels and Japanese birch for the frame. We also paid particular attention to the sizes and arrangements of individual parts. For the assembly structure, we adopted a traditional Japanese joinery technique called okuriari, which does not use any nails or screws. The completed body line of the Setsuna expresses a beautiful curve reminiscent of a boat. We would also like the viewer to imagine how the Setsuna will gradually develop a complex and unique character over the years. The car includes a 100-year meter that will keep time over generations, and seats that combine functional beauty with the gentle hue of the wood.”

In Bali, we created a bamboo buggy with the help of Jorg Stramm, similiar to the one in this video.  Who out there wants to help us take to the next stage?