Teach your young ones how to drive with Toyota’s electric Camatte Hajime concept

By Ronan Glon June 19, 2015

Toyota has introduced an innovative new concept called Camatte Hajime at the 2015 edition of the Tokyo Toy Fair. As the name of the event suggests, the Camatte Hajime was designed specifically to put kids behind the wheel.

Toyota’s latest concept stretches 118 inches from bumper to bumper — longer than a smart fortwo –, and is 52 inches wide and just 48 inches tall. Visually, the Camatte Hajime adopts a simple, function-over-form design characterized by round headlights, a tubular bumper, motorcycle-style fenders up front and black steel wheels.

Also, the body panels can be easily swapped, so when Junior gets tired of driving an off-roader, the Camatte can be turned into a retro-styled Morgan-like sports convertible, a Formula 1 car, or even a faux food truck with only a basic set of tools.

Inside, the concept offers space for three passengers in a triangular configuration that makes it possible to install the two rows of seats close together without sacrificing leg room. The pedals and the steering wheel are adjustable so kids of almost all ages can slip behind the wheel, and Toyota points out that the adult passenger sitting in the right rear corner can easily reach the controls in the event of an emergency.

Power comes from a small electric motor linked to a compact battery pack, but more precise technical details are not available yet. The Camatte is undoubtedly not street legal — especially not in Japan — and it’s far too big to be driven on a sidewalk, but kids can legally take it for a spin on a go-kart track or on private property.

Although building the Camatte Hajime concept is likely feasible, Toyota has not revealed what the future holds for it. Even if it gets the green light for production, there’s currently no indication that it will be available in the United States.

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Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…

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