City cars are under scrutiny. They are seen more and more as a force for disruption, and local authorities are being increasingly obliged to take restrictive measures to ease traffic congestion. While urban mobility issues have been in the spotlight for years, recent studies have focused on exploring innovative alternatives with the aim of reducing stress and improving city dwellers’ quality of life. Lately, cute, compact microcars have become a common sight, zipping around our streets and dodging in and out of traffic to reach destinations effortlessly and find parking spots with ease.
Mobility for all
The Toyota group is one of the leaders in this trend: “The Olympics of 2021 in Tokyo and 2024 in Paris triggered a surge of creativity: for these events, we developed a number of mobility solutions tailored for the short-distance needs of Olympic and Paralympic athletes”, explains Tadao Mori, Design Director at Toyota Motor Europe. We are talking about inclusive and accessible vehicles, which we refer to with a very simple but powerful slogan that reflects our company’s mission: “Mobility for All”.
Agility and freshness
Hence the idea of creating a city-friendly microcar called FT-Me (short for Future Toyota-Micro Electric). “We kicked off the project in the summer of 2023 and, in record time, developed the concept car that was unveiled at this year’s Kenshiki Forum”, says Elvio D’Aprile, senior styling manager and project leader. It was designed to be the ultimate expression of agility and freshness: we assembled a team of talented young designers and moved at lightning speed, with streamlined decision-making processes and creativity at the helm.”
Inspiration from the jet helmet
Creativity was just as crucial as engineering pragmatism, because designing a sub-2.5-metre car in record time, one that comfortably seats two passengers and adheres to the tenets of sustainability, demands seamless collaboration between the styling and technical departments. “The design had to communicate the FT-Me’s intentions instantly, so we took inspiration from the shape of an agile, safe and familiar object: the jet helmet of a scooter”, continues D’Aprile.
A play of colours
Then it was time for creativity, as exterior designer Matthieu Low-Kame explains: “We played around with colours, drawing cues from big sellers of ours like the Aygo X and C-HR. The idea behind this was to convey some of Toyota’s core values while also broadening the user base as much as possible. It shouldn’t be forgotten that this vehicle targets 14-year-olds, the middle-aged and even the elderly.”
360 degree visibility
The FT-Me takes up half the space of a traditional car park slot and this drops to a third if perpendicular parking is available. “To create maximum contact with other road users, we have designed a 360-degree visibility system, guaranteed by ultra-thin pillars and large glass surfaces”, says Adrien Van Mullem, Interior Designer. “This gives the driver a more airy, almost traditional car feel, while the passenger seat has been offset by a few centimetres for greater comfort. It is set further back than the driver’s seat and so allows more legroom”.
(Full article in A&D no. 274)
