Toyota has revealed its Fine-Comfort Ride concept at the ongoing Tokyo motor show. The premium sedan comes with the company’s next-generation hydrogen fuel cell technology that could make production between 2025 and 2030.
While the brand’s executives are tight-lipped about the details, they did confirm that the next-gen fuel cell is more compact, lighter, more efficient and affordable to produce than the one used on the only current Toyota production car that features the technology, the Mirai. Kiyotaka Ise, head of advanced R&D for Toyota, said he wanted to cut costs and enhance performance by about 50 percent with every new generation of the powertrain. On the Japanese test cycle, the car is said by Toyota to have a range of 1,000km between refills, from a 6kg capacity tank.
The compact powetrain has helped to maximise interior space with the wheels close to all-four corners, each having its own electric motor. The Fine-Comfort Ride concept is 110mm wider than the current-gen S-class.
Inside, as the car’s name suggests, the focus is on comfort. The seats can be adjusted according to posture (including a fully reclined sleeping position), the numerous digital displays and projection screens are built around occupants and the seat layout can be altered to aid conversation or create personal spaces. Notably, the rearmost seats are in a sofa-like bench configuration, while the front two rows are made up of individual seats.
Although Toyota chiefs have refused to confirm the Fine-Comfort Ride has been designed with autonomous driving functions in mind, the ability for front seat passengers to swing their seats round and talk to rear-seat occupants suggests this is likely.
As with current hydrogen-powered vehicles, Toyota says the Fine-Comfort Ride can be refuelled in around three minutes.
Dipan Sur
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Suraj Viswanathan
Hormazd Sorabjee
