Every car maker will sell you if you like, all sorts of products with their logos on. Heck, it’s even rumoured that Ferrari makes more cash from t-shirts and teddy bears than it does from actual cars…
Fascinating, but why are you telling us this?
I’m telling you this because, as it so often does, Toyota is taking a different route to selling products that aren’t cars. The Japanese giant has launched a new lineup of products called the e-collection, which is far removed from the normal baseball caps and branded water bottles.
In fact, Toyota says that the e-collection is not so much traditional branded accessories as “sustainable concepts designed to enhance adaptable living and transform how we experience modern life.“
What kind of products are we talking about here?
Well, according to Toyota: “The e-collection includes innovative ideas for working professionals, nature enthusiasts, fashionistas, modern families and music lovers everywhere. Each solution has been conceptualised in response to everyday challenges that Toyota predicts will impact the people of tomorrow: from a new generation of hybrid-nomad workers to a solution for those looking to stay informed while disconnecting from digital devices.”
A selection of what’s available includes ThinkTent, a portable, solar-powered, pop-up office in a tent. Feel like working in the park, but there’s nowhere to sit down? Well now there is!
Then there’s the ChirpM8, surely the ultimate extension of the original Tamagotchi idea. It’s a bird-like robotic pet designed to tell when you’re feeling stressed or bothered and will start singing to you in pleasant birdsong to cheer you up.
That’s mad. Anything else?
Oh yes. The e-collection also includes the AdjusTable, a portable table that adjusts in height to suit adults, kids, coffee mornings, or cooking. It might make an ideal addition to the ThinkTent… Then there’s the DualGuitar, which is sadly not one of those awesome double-necked guitars, but instead, a guitar that takes the energy you use to strum it and turns it into electricity, powering your other devices. Yes, rock ‘n’ roll can truly save the world!
There’s also the AWD Sneakers — which look almost like strange sea creatures — and which Toyota promises deliver: “ultimate performance in all weather conditions. Whether you’re hitting a trail, sprinting though the rain, hiking a snowy mountain or just navigating city streets, these sneakers deliver unmatched traction, stability, and comfort - pushing you to reach your destination faster, no matter the conditions.“
Finally, there’s Notification Nails, stick-on fake fingernails that glow a different colour to alert you of incoming texts, WhatsApps, and emails.
In the shops for Christmas?
Probably not, no. Toyota is talking a lot about ‘visions’ and ‘concepts’ so it’s unlikely that any of these will be in any shops any time soon. However, they’re a vision of the kind of products that the company could, in theory, offer in the future. Well, I for one would much rather a ThinkTent than a t-shirt…
More Toyota e-collection concepts will be shown off in the coming weeks.