blog.aka.me -
January 23, 2005
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| Cars | wow |
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Toyota Prius taxis in Tokyo

Granted, I tend to ride taxis to work and back more than I like to talk about (especially in winter Brrrrrr). But I balance the impact on the environment by riding my bike to work the other days... Maybe I should only ride Prius taxis... but in more than 2.5 years in Tokyo, I have only seen one.
Well, until this morning...

It was stopped in the traffic in front of my building. Not the latest model, but a Prius nonetheless. And the fare was starting at only 500yen. A bargain! The driver was really nice and chatty; I gathered that he works for ECO TAXI, a company with a fleet of only 20 similar taxis. There was a cool animation on the dashboard monitor showing at any moment which engine (the electric or the gaz one) was powering the car.
Anyway, tonite after work, I made my way to the taxi station and BAM! There was another Prius at the top of the line! A black one, new model. Talk about a hidden message (I work for Honda R&D)... This one was from a company called ASSIST, and there are only 10 of them.
So in 1 day, and 2 fares, I managed to ride 2 of the only 30 Prius taxis that are working in Tokyo. hahaha and I also got a great idea for a novel speed meter for my work while riding the Prius in the evening. Thank you Toyota!

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July 26, 2004
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| Cars | Emotion | Toyota | UI |
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An Automobile With Feelings

[The NYTimes.com] Four inventors working for Toyota in Japan have won a patent for a car that they say can help drivers communicate better by glaring angrily at another car cutting through traffic as well as appear to cry, laugh, wink, or just look around.
This seems to be a patent they applied for while working on their POD car co-developed with Sony in 2001.

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July 26, 2004
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| Cars | design |
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SOFT_Bone1 MIT car

[MIT Car] This project comprises the design and build of a concept car which re-invents the car as a designed object, and redefines the user's relationship to the car and to the city. To take the design process "out of the box," the prototype will be designed from a new perspective: that of architecture. The project is led by architect Frank O. Gehry and General Motors. The final show car will be presented in early 2005.

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February 19, 2004
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| Cars | Fashion |
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Voiture Haute Couture

[ElectrifyingTimes.com] Coqueline Courreges created the new design of the Bulle EV, meaning Bubble in French. Andre Courreges, her famous fashion designer husband, made a prototype in 1969 of a little battery powered car.

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February 16, 2004
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| Cars |
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Learn to count with cars

[Metropolis] Honda will roll out another minivan in May, probably to be christened the 3 by 2, to reflect its seating layout of two rows of three seats that is currently unique to Fiat's Multipla.
[CarDesignNews] Fiat Trepiuno: the name of this year's Geneva show car, which actually means "Three-plus-one" states that this is a peculiar four-seater car.
[WaitNews] Renault is to show the new Wind concept car at the Geneva Salon in March. Renault describes the car as being a 2+1 roadster with a streamlined design and lively performance.

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