Toyota Setsuna concept:: Wood-based car to debut in Milan

According to the Japanese automaker, it chose to design a concept car largely from dead tree because it's a "material that is durable yet prone to change over time", allowing the Setsuna to show how "cars undergo a gradual transformation over the years, as if absorbing the aspirations, memories, and emotions of multiple generations of a family".

The car's wood will change depending on how it is used and treated, as well as from environmental factors, in particular temperature and humidity. This, Toyota claims, gives the Setsuna "a unique character and depth".

A number of different types of wood have been used for various purposes on the Setsuna, with Japanese cedar for the exterior panels and birch for the frame.

Incorporated into the car is a age meter that tracks the vehicle from birth to its 100th birthday. All the various wood elements are held together using by okuriari, a traditional Japanese joinery technique that eschews the use of nails or screws.

The car's overall shape is said to be reminiscent of a boat. The two-seat Setsuna measures 3030mm from head to tail, has a width of 1480mm, stands 970mm tall, and rides on a 1700mm wheelbase.

Motivation comes courtesy of an electric drivetrain, although Toyota has yet to give any power outputs or performance figures for the concept.

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