The new Toyota Concept-i concept car, designed to learn about its driver is unveiled during the Toyota press conference at CES in Las Vegas, January 4, 2017. (Photo by Rick Wilking/Reuters)

A tow car for the children's “Grand Prix” races which take place in a parking lot in Livonia, Michigan a suburb of Detroit, circa 1955. (Photo by Three Lions/Getty Images)

A Palestinian boy stands next to a damaged car following an Israeli raid in Tulkarm in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on October 20, 2023. (Photo by Raneen Sawafta/Reuters)

A person stands on a car while looking at Auroras, caused by a coronal mass ejection on the Sun, that illuminate the skies in the southwestern Siberian Omsk region, Russia on November 6, 2023. (Photo by Alexey Malgavko/Reuters)

A visitor looks at a Morris Mini-Minor Car on display at the Victoria and Albert museums' new major exhibition, “British Design 1948-2012: Innovation In The Modern Age” on March 28, 2012 in London, England. This car, which was designed by Alec Issigonis, was the first one off the production line. The exhibition showcases some of the most iconic product design, fashion, furniture, graphics, architecture and fine art from the last 60 years, and opens to the public from March 31, 2012. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Makers, meet your DIY dream car. Toyota‘s Calty Design Research Studio just unveiled its brand new Urban Utility concept car – an ultra flexible vehicle with a transforming interior designed to meet the needs of today’s on-the-go makers. Toyota packed an amazing amount of space into a footprint the size of a compact car. The U-squared can seat up to four passengers, or you can fold down three seats and roll out an array of racks, movable rails, and storage trays that can accommodate everything from surfboards and bikes to bulky equipment (like your homemade tesla coil).

“The Trabant is a car that was produced by former East German auto maker VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau in Zwickau, Sachsen. It was the most common vehicle in East Germany, and was also exported to countries both inside and outside the communist bloc. The main selling points was that it had room for four adults and luggage in a compact, light and durable shell and that it was fast (when introduced) and durable. With its mediocre performance, smoky two-stroke engine, and production shortages, the Trabant is often cited as an example of the disadvantages of centralized planning; on the other hand, it is regarded with derisive affection as a symbol of the failed former East Germany and of the fall of communism (in former West Germany, as many East Germans streamed into West Berlin and West Germany in their Trabants after the opening of the Berlin Wall in 1989). It was in production without any significant changes for nearly 30 years with 3,096,099 Trabants produced in total”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Enthusiasts weared in uniforms of the former eastern german army trive in a military Trabant car as fans and owners of East German-era Trabant cars gather at the 2011 International Trabantfahrer Treffen (International Trabant Drivers Meeting) on June 26, 2011 in Zwickau, Germany. The Trabant, also known as the Trabi, was among the main cars produced in communist East Germany and built by VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke in Zwickau for 30 years until 1989. Today the car has cult status for many followers and one company, IndiKar, is even seeking to revive the brand in a modern, electric version. (Photo by Carsten Koall/Getty Images)

“Itasha (痛車), literally “painmobile”, is a Japanese term for an otaku fad of individuals decorating the bodies of their cars with fictional characters of anime, manga, or video games (especially bishōjo game or eroge). These characters are predominately “cute” female. The decorations usually involve paint schemes and stickers. Automobiles are called Itasha, while similar motorcycles and bicycles are called itansha (痛単車) and itachari (痛チャリ), respectively”. – Wikipedia


Photo: A visitor takes pictures of an anime-decorated «Itasha» car displayed during the “Moe Fes in Washimiya” at Washimiya Town Hall on July 18, 2009 in Washimiya, Saitama, Japan. Itasha, a word derived from “itai” (painful) and “sha” (car), are vehicles decorated with mostly female characters from Japanese manga, anime and video games. (Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images)