Toyota's concept for the next generation has a 3D-printed dash
Millennials are so last season -- now it's all about Gen-Z buyers.
Toyota is looking to the future of car ownership with its latest concept, the uBox, which it created in collaboration with graduate students at Clemson University's International Center for Automotive Research. The carmaker imagines uBox customers as entrepreneurs and members of "generation Z" -- the vehicle is designed to be fluid, transforming from a recreational vehicle into a kind of mobile office via a reconfigurable interior.
Owners would be able to customize the vents, dashboard display fixtures and door trim with 3D printing, plus there would be an online hub for people to share their designs. The uBox has a curved glass roof and 110-volt sockets along the inside and outside of the vehicle so Gen-Z-ers can power their electronics, too.
Don't expect to see the uBox at your local dealer any time soon -- the project was meant to help students learn the ins and outs of car design and manufacturing. However, Toyota may integrate some of these ideas into future designs, Toyota spokesperson Brian Watkins told Automotive News.
