Only in Japan could a PR flack write the following brochurespeak with a straight face:
"Your ears pick up the rustling of the breeze. Calmed by the unhurried passage of time, you find your true nature and drive with effortless focus. Let RiN bring out your inner beauty, so that when you arrive, you'll be even healthier than when you left."
That's asking a lot of a transportation implement. But indeed the Toyota braintrust has brainstormed a long roster of sometimes dubious technologies aimed at enhancing the health and wellbeing of the four blessed souls aboard a RiN. But trust us, not all of these ideas are going to appeal to American sensibilities.
Miss Manners:The RiN's tires are narrow, and feature a tread pattern designed to channel water inward to limit splashing.The headlamps have a special light-distribution control that emits a soft light from the surface to prevent dazzling oncoming drivers.Should the RiN commit the ultimate faux-pas of smacking into a pedestrian, the exterior, soft bio-plastics offer cushion the affront. Many of the controls are operated by lovingly stroking them.Sliding the doors open invokes a feeling of entering a Japanese teahouse.
Car's EarsThe RiN actively "listens" for sounds outside the vehicle, and actively filters out driving noises and other physiologically uncomfortable sounds, while admitting more pleasant ones, like perhaps "smooth move!" and similar compliments and salutations hurled by fellow motorists.
Ever GreenBio-plastic materials are used on the roof and door trim and elsewhere to reduce petroleum use. Green-tinted glass all around not only filters out harmful infrared and ultraviolet rays, it also makes the surroundings look brighter and clearer. Windows in the bottoms of the doors allow you to observe nature at ground level--and perhaps prevent running over it. Contrasting beige interior richens the complexions of the occupants "to evoke a healthy mental and physical feeling."Vehicle design is inspired by the Yakusugi (Japanese Cypress) tree to express harmony with nature.
Atmospheric ConditionsNaturally there's a pollen filter, but RiN further conditions the air with a plasma cluster that freshens the air with negative ions.A pinpoint humidifier prevents dehydrationStill feeling verklempt? Perhaps you're not getting enough oxygen. For that, there's an oxygen-concentration conditioner to promote deep, pleasant breathing.
Mood AlterationRiN's seats promote the ideal posture for meditation (the Chinese character pronounced "rin" refers to upright posture). They also absorb vibration, distribute weight evenly, and are climate controlled.Even when the cooling function is engaged, the seat gently warms areas prone to fatigue near the shoulders, lower back, and legs (note to product planners--when Americans ask for cool, they view heat as a warranty defect).The steering wheel measures the driver's heartbeat and a display interprets mood, so he or she can control it (another note to the planners: a car that tells an American to calm down will quite likely spike his or her blood pressure, perhaps prompting a physical alteration of the display). Even the doors get in on the mood-checking action: Attempt to slam one in anger, and the slider resistance automatically increases, making it feel heavier "forcing you to take the time to calm down." (It's about here that Texans may draw their firearms.)
This thing would clearly never fly in the U.S. as is, but maybe with a few new features? Here's two I'd like to see sooner rather than later. What would elevate your driving mood?
Cell-free zone: use the same technology our Army employs to prevent cell-phone detonation of IEDs to end and block all cell-phone calls within a comfortable radius of the car.Holographic projection of police-car lighting visible only in the mirrors of a pokey left-lane bandit.