Toyota to bring two autonomous vehicles to the Tokyo show

Toyota invariably treats the audience of a wide variety of new concept cars at the Tokyo Motor Show – and this year will not be an exception.

This time around, the Japanese carmaker will unveil not one, but two autonomous concepts demonstrating two completely different approaches to the implementation of the self-driving vehicle tech. Two unassociated teams were charged with their development.

The first car it the Toyota e-Palette Concept, and you can see it on the video here. Designed by Toyota itself, it made a cameo appearance at the last year’s show, but this time it is no longer a mock-up, but a finished vehicle. 5,255 millimeters (17.24 ft.) long and 2,760 mm (9.06 ft.) tall, it can accommodate up to 19 passengers. The self-driving tech corresponds to SAE Level 4, which means that the car mostly manages without the driver, but still has the conventional controls for when the road situation absolutely demands it. The top speed is 19 km/h (11.8 mph), and the range amounts to 150 kilometers (93 miles).

This is exactly the kind of shuttle bus that will transport the guests of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. A whole range of such vehicles will be produced for passenger and cargo transportation purposes.

The other concept is called PMCV. Responsible for the project is Toyota Auto Body, a subdivision of the main company which primarily designs MPVs, minibuses and Land Cruiser SUVs. This one is still a bit of a grey horse. Measuring 4,600 millimeters (15.1 feet) long and 1,760 mm (5.77 ft.) tall, it can accept up to eight occupants. There are slide-out doors with a lifting upper flap on the left side of the van. Judging by the complete absence of any kind of controls inside, this is a completely autonomous (SAE Level 5) concept – or, at least, a fantasy on how such cars might look when they enter the streets sometime in the 2030s.

Toyota promises to reveal more on both cars at the Tokyo Motor Show later this month.