The 2023 Tokyo auto show is chock filled with latest concept cars and production models, but perhaps none as novel because the Toyota Kayoibako concept.
The Kayoibako is an electrical van that, at about 157 inches long and on a 110.2-inch wheelbase, is near the length of a Mini Cooper. Fittingly, the word Japanese word “kayoibako” refers to shipping containers with reconfigurable inserts for various uses, and sized for efficient use of space.
Toyota Kayoibako concept
Like its namesake, the Toyota Kayoibako was designed with efficiency packaging that may also be adapted to a wide range of different uses, in response to Toyota. This includes all the pieces from last-mile deliveries to shuttle-bus services, the automaker said in a press release. The van may also be equipped with display shelves, allowing it to function a mobile shop.
The Kayoibako was also designed to be used as a non-public passenger vehicles, including easier wheelchair access, Toyota claims. And in contrast to the smaller kei vans sold in Japan, it’s just large enough to be viable within the U.S. and Europe. The closest comparison can be the first-generation Scion xB from Toyota’s defunct “youth” brand. However the Kayoibako has more interior space, and the added utility of sliding doors.
Toyota Kayoibako concept
This van wasn’t the one small vehicle Toyota unveiled on the Tokyo show. It also revealed the EPU, an electrical truck that is compact or midsize by U.S. standards. Rival Nissan, meanwhile, showed its Hyper Tourer concept, which reimagines the minivan around solid-state batteries. And the Mitsubishi D:X concept hints at a future plug-in hybrid version of the automaker’s Japanese-market Delica minivan.
The Kayoibako would not have much competition within the U.S. Startup Canoo has an analogous idea for a multipurpose electric van, but its design is way larger. One other startup, Telo Trucks, has a van variant of its efficiency-focused electric pickup in mind. Telo sees the U.S. as a market with an untapped demand for such a model.
This Article First Appeared At www.greencarreports.com
