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c0lo [soylentnews.org] writes:

The Christian Science Monitor reports [csmonitor.com] on the latest Toyota concept car, to be revealed at the Milan Design Week.

Toyota will reveal its newest concept car, a roadster called Setsuna, at the Milan Design Week. This reveal comes with a twist – the electric car is made of wood.

The car’s name, Setsuna, means “moment” in Japanese, and refers to the fleeting relationship between humans and material things, like cars.
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The car’s shape is reminiscent of an Italian speedboat. Its curves and smooth lines are the product of a special Japanese construction technique called “okuriari.” This technique uses no nails or screws to join body pieces, but instead relies on the way the wood is shaped to hold the piece together.

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According to Setsuna’s designers [toyota.co.jp], the company chose the wood in the car’s frame with the future in mind. The vehicle’s frame is made from Japanese birch, and its exterior panelling is made from Japanese cedar. The floor is crafted from Japanese zelkova elm, the seats from castor oil tree wood, and the instrument panel from cyprus.
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“With the Setsuna concept, Toyota is expressing the notion that, as a family accrues time and experiences together with their car,” said Toyota in a statement, “lovingly caring for it and passing it on to the next generation, that car will acquire a new type of value that only the members of that family can appreciate.”

For a car designed to be timeless, the Setsuna includes a surprising feature, a 100-year meter to keep track of time.
The Setsuna’s other instruments are unlikely to have to withstand much pressure. Powered by an electric motor, the car’s maximum speed is 28 miles per hour.
Don’t plan to go too far, either. Powered by six lead acid batteries, the Setsuna has a range of just under 16 miles. Although the car is drivable, Toyota has not made it street legal.

In the same article, the CSM links to a page of other 10 cool wooden cars [jalopnik.com]

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