Toyota's kit-car for kids

Toyota has revealed a do-it-yourself mini-roadster concept it hopes will bring parents and their kids closer together.

Revealed yesterday ahead of its public debut at the International Tokyo Toy Show 2013 over June 13-16, the open-top Camatte57s kit-car comes with three seats arranged in a triangular layout, with one front seat and two rear seats “to emphasise family intimacy and facilitate communication”.

Adjustable brake and accelerator pedals allow children to drive – away from public roads, we presume – while an adult seated in the rear-right seat can assist with steering and braking to help develop a child’s driving skills.

The all-electric Camatte57s is a development of the original Camatte concept that Toyota exhibited last year. Its body consists of 57 detachable small lightweight panels to allow a wider range of colour and design options.

Measuring just three metres long, 1.44 metres wide and one metre high, the Camatte57s three-seater will appear in the Kids Life Zone at this year’s International Tokyo Toy Show, to be held at Tokyo Big Sight exhibition centre.

“The vehicle aims to convey the joy and dreams of motor vehicles to current and future drivers, by providing an opportunity for parents and children to together experience the fun of driving, car customisation and car enthusiasm,” says Toyota. “The roofless design offers a liberating driving experience while also enhancing visibility to increase ease of customisation.”

Toyota says the Camatte name is based on the Japanese word for care and is meant to signify “caring for others” and “caring for cars”, while the ‘s’ stands for the Japanese word sawaru, which means to touch.

“The name thus reflects the idea that people should feel more in touch with each other and with vehicles,” said the Japanese giant.