CES 2017: Toyota unveil car designed to have 'meaningful relationship' with driver

A car that greets its owner as they walk towards it has been unveiled by Toyota.

The Concept-i is fitted with an intelligent assistant — similar to Siri on Apple devices — which communicates through sound, light and touch to alert the driver about road conditions and ensure they are not falling asleep at the wheel.

The concept car can be manually controlled or put into self-driving mode, and the intelligent assistant, called Yui, greets driver and passengers as they approach.

Toyota said that Yui would build a relationship with the car’s owner by learning driving patterns and schedules and could even measure emotional states via in-car sensors.

'Concept vehicle': Toyota has unveiled a new model designed to build a 'meaningful relationship' with its driver

Designers ditched the traditional central console in favour of giving information only when it is needed, including coloured LED lights in the footwells to indicate if the car is in autonomous or manual mode. Projectors warn about blind spots and bonnet lights warn other drivers and pedestrians that the car is in self-driving mode.

On the rear of the car, messages can warn other drivers about potential hazards.

Bob Carter, Toyota’s senior vice-president of automotive operations, said: “We recognise that the important question isn’t whether future vehicles will be equipped with automated or connected technologies, it is the experience of the people who engage with those vehicles.”

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