Toyota, Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research and Pasadena California-based ArtCenter College of Design team up to create a Gen-Z Focused Concept unveiled at the 2016 SAE World Congress earlier this week.
Clemson University Toyota uBox concept
Clemson University may have missed out on college football's national championship earlier this year, but members of its Deep Orange team have emerged victorious as the latest concept vehicle to wear a Toyota badge is a result of collaboration between the Japanese manufacturer, Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) and California's ArtCenter College of Design.
After all, what better group of people could you pick to create a vehicle that would appeal to future Gen-Z buyers than a bunch of Gen-Z designers and engineers?
Specifically, Toyota's latest concept vehicle, the uBox, is the result of a partnership between CU-ICAR and Toyota Motor North America designers and engineers. The program, called Deep Orange (in a nod to Clemson's signature school color) is designed to immerse students "into every aspect of automotive development – from market research and design studies to engineering design and manufacturing."
"Deep Orange gives students’ hands-on experience with the entire vehicle development process, from identifying the market opportunity through the vehicle build," says Johnell Brooks, an associate professor in Clemson's graduate engineering program. "It's like automotive boot camp for the real world, and it wouldn’t happen without industry partners like Toyota."
According to Toyota, the typical uBox customer would be a young entrepreneur looking for a vehicle that can be used for both utility and recreation on weekends, while offering career-centric amenities like office space or other lifestyle uses during the week.
The Clemson uBox concept features bold exterior styling to go along with a versatile interior with seating that can be re-configured nested and/or removed for various activities. The powertrain is all-electric, while vents, dashboard display bezels and door trim can be personalized via 3-D printing technology (it's also proposed that an online community for owners can share design ideas).
The students learned a great deal during the project, but one feature also caught the attention of Toyota Executive Program Manager Craig Payne: a student-developed pultrusion technique that allows composite carbon fiber rails bonded with aluminum to support a curved glass roof.
"The roof pultrusion was something unexpected and very interesting when they first started talking about the concept," said Payne. "The fact that they were able to achieve an industry-first manufacturing technique as students speaks volumes for this program."
Go Tigers!
