Toyota has created a new stripped-out, minimalist city car concept. Called the ME.WE, the concept has been conceived as an 'anti-excess' vehicle, which Toyota claims represents the transition from the culture of 'more' to the culture of 'better'.
The ME.WE was produced in collaboration with French architect Jean-Marie Massaud, and is based on a tubular aluminium structure and covered in plastic panels weighing just 14kg. In addition to this, Toyota has used bamboo to create the ME.WE's floor, with the result that the car weighs just 750kg -- around 200kg less than the average supermini.
Power comes from four in-wheel electric motors, which allow the ME.WE to operate in both two- and four-wheel drive modes. The battery pack is located underneath the floor, lowering the car's centre of gravity and maximising interior space.
On the inside, the ME.WE features virtually no standard equipment. You get a single screen above the steering wheel which shows speed, battery charge and navigation instructions, delivered via a smartphone.
The ME.WE doesn't come with a boot, freeing up more of the interior space for the passengers. Instead, luggage is carried on the roof beneath a fold-out, weatherproof neoprene cover.
There are currently no plans to put the ME.WE into production, but elements of the design -- including the tubular aluminium framework and plastic body panels -- could find their way into future production Toyotas.
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