In a unique partnership between Toyota and Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR), a new Toyota concept vehicle has been created by graduate students. The car has been dubbed the “uBox” and has been tailored to attract upcoming Gen-Z car buyers.
The Toyota uBox concept was revealed in April 2016 at the Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress and Exposition in Detroit.
Design Partnership
The two-year collaboration between Toyota and CU-ICAR, known as “Deep Orange,” has given students real-world automotive industry experience that cannot be gained in a classroom or from a book, engaging the students in all aspects of developing an automobile.
The uBox concept car was built by hand by the CU-ICAR grad students, with students taking part in production aspects like market research, design, engineering, and manufacturing.
The members of Toyota’s management team challenged the students throughout the process, requiring them to defend their engineering and design choices in consideration of factors like brand essence, customer realities, and what the students felt would resonate with future consumers.
Outside the Box With uBox
Targeted uBox customers are young businesspeople who are looking for an automobile that can meet their utilitarian and recreational needs as well as accommodate business uses and everyday functionality.
One of the uBox features innovated by the CU-ICAR students especially captured the attention of Toyota’s executives – a pioneering pultrusion technique that enables composite carbon fiber rails to be bonded with aluminum as a support for a curved glass roof. In creating this technique, the students remarkably achieved an industry-first manufacturing method.
Other uBox features include an exterior look that is aimed at encapsulating the personality of Generation Z, with a strong stance that makes the vehicle appear to be in motion even when it’s parked.
The flexible interior of the uBox can accommodate various needs, from conducting business to hauling cumbersome cargo. The uBox features a low floor that facilitates reconfiguring and removing seats on sliding tracks that can also be nested.
uBox drivers can personalize their vehicle’s vents, dashboard display bezels, and door trim through 3D printing technology. An online uBox community will also be created where uBox owners can share their designs.
The uBox additionally features a compact, all-electric powertrain that serves two purposes, enabling enjoyable motoring and also providing emission-free operating energy when the car isn’t in driving use, allowing car owners to power electronics, tools, and other devices via an assortment of 110-volt electrical outlets found throughout the interior and exterior of the uBox.
Stay Connected to Toyota Innovation
As drivers wait for the uBox to manifest in production form someday, they can explore Toyota’s current lineup of high-quality models at Chicago Northside Toyota Scion and also keep abreast of new Toyota innovations as they come down the pipe.
Visit or contact Chicago Northside Toyota Scion today.
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