Added: Dec 1, 2008

From: NTDTV

Duration: 2:12

Japan Car - now on exhibit at the London Science Museum is not your average automobile show. Spectators should be prepared for an innovative encounter with the future of lifestyle and transport.When their proposal for a design museum in Tokyo was turned down, architect Shigeru Ban and designer Kenya Hara came up with the idea of a yearly show which would change in theme and location. The exhibit Japan Car is a fresh statement of how the Japanese consider the interior of the vehicle as a living space.[Shigeru Ban, Architect and Show Creator]:"Cars in Europe are designed as pure transportation means to go from one place to one place as quickly as possible. Instead, we just try to enjoy inside so that is the very different aspect of how car inside, also the space itself and design as a reflection of lifestyle."The Toyota Bb, for example, was designed as a private hideout with an 11-speaker sound system and front seat cushions that can be lowered out of sight from outside viewers.Proving that good things come in small packages, Japanese car manufacturers are also paying attention to environment with climate-conscious hybrids that are more like integrated systems than individual cells. Shigeru says that efficient public transportation in Japan is driving car sales down and that carmakers need to come up with special cars to meet the challenge. [Shigeru Ban, Architect and Show Creator]:"I think it's a very important moment for Japanese manufacturers. The competition is much stronger and also the design of the car is the same everywhere so this character and also the globalization of many different car companies in different countries working together, but unless we have somespecial character, I think it's very difficult to progress further."Using shoes as an analogy, Shigeru says of the future, "The car is becoming more like shoes, depending on the occasion, they use different types of cars."

Channel: Tech

Tags: automobile  ban  car  design  exhibition  future  japan  london  museum  ntd  science  shigeru  show  tokyo 

Rating: 4.43 (14 ratings)    Views: 2628' favoriteCount='11    Comments: 5

cheezynes Says:

Dec 22, 2008 - people would get fatter

samreece1 Says:

Jan 2, 2009 - Good point!

samreece1 Says:

Jan 2, 2009 - Some would be useful for the handicapped.

juggaloSwisS Says:

Jan 4, 2009 - what are the things at the end called?hen they were reffering to shoes?

MazdaMeHaHa Says:

Jan 5, 2009 - The Toyota i-Real... which followed the i-Swing, which followed the i-Unit. Quirky names, I-know, but interesting concepts, nonetheless.