Concept cars->ke169 are being unveiled in all sorts of places these days. Take the case of Toyota->ke88 for example. The Japanese automaker recently attended a private-panel discussion hosted by Make: magazine in San Francisco to unveil the Urban Utility Concept, or U2 in short. Toyota’s purpose of attending the event was to showcase the innovative concept that aims to attract young, entrepreneurial urban drivers. The U2 Concept was developed by the company’s Calty Design Research based in Newport Beach, California.

After its appearance at the private panel discussion, the Toyota Urban Utility Concept is scheduled to make its first public appearance at the World Maker Faire in New York City on Sept. 20 and 21, 2014.

It’s an appropriate venue to make its public debut, especially with Maker Faire events being geared towards modern inventions and growing entrepreneurship possibilities.

The Toyota U2 Concept fits in that kind of environment.

Click past the jump to read more about the Toyota U-squared Urban Utility Concept Vehicle.

2014 Toyota U-squared Urban Utility Concept Vehicle

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2014 Toyota U-squared Urban Utility Concept Vehicle
  • Engine/Motor: inline-4
  • Horsepower: 160
  • Torque: 130
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior

The design of the Toyota U2 Concept adheres to its concept status without going overboard. I can actually see Toyota production models looking like this in the future, particularly the four vertical LED headlights that actually look pretty sexy. They could be a little bigger to make them sexier, but I’m not complaining about their look. Extra points too for the checker-board and bicycle side panels.

The box-like design and the protruding dimensions create a quirky look, but there’s actually a lot of functionality hidden in there too. For one, the roof can be rolled back, while the entire rear section can be folded down and double as a ramp for easier loading and unloading.

As much as the front section looks cool, its counterpart on the back looks rather clunky. Granted, the aforementioned functions make up for the lack in design, and Toyota even points that out in its design sketches of the concept. The taillights are ridiculously small, though.

Interior

A concept as quirky as this needs an interior that looks the same way. Toyota accomplished that by designing a pretty clean cockpit with some adventurous parts included with it, like the oval speedometer that protrudes like a three-dimensional instrument cluster. The steering wheel is bigger than I expected and quite frankly, it looks better than most steering wheels found in production Toyotas these days. There’s also an iPad that likely acts as the tech hub of the vehicle. Additionally, there’s a weird tray on the passenger side that appears to be detachable, and a circular shifter design that carries multiple functions, including intuitive switch for parking, drive and reverse mode

Space shouldn’t be an issue with the U-squared Urban Utility Concept. All of the seats can be folded down to create enough space to carry a two month’s supply of groceries.

The cabin also has a utility rail system that can be reconfigured to carry items ranging from baskets to bike stands.

Drivetrain

Toyota didn't detail any engine specs for the U-squared Urban Utility Concept and to be honest, I don't expect it to. But I'm willing to play the what-if game and say that a 2.0-liter, inline-four engine with somewhere around 160 horsepower and 130 pound-feet of torque wouldn't be so bad. It's not going to wreak havoc on a quarter-mile, but it would likely sprint from 0 to 60 mph in a decent-for-its-purpose nine seconds and top out at around 120 mph.

Prices

Concepts don't come with price tags, but I already started this fake game in my head so I'm going to throw in an imaginary price tag, too. How does $30,000 sound? Too much?

Competition

Kia Naimo Concept

I had to dig long and hard to find a suitable pseudo competitor to the U-squared Urban Utility Concept. My search eventually led me to this equally wonky concept Kia introduced back in 2011. It's called the Naimo Concept and if I didn't know any better, it looks just as weird, maybe even more, than the U2 Concept.

Kia went with an unorthodox design for the Naimo and that's evident in the number of features found in the concept, including the quirky, see-through roof, the lack of a distinguishable front bumper, the square-shaped LED headlamps, and the high-rising rear profile of the concept. Likewise, the interior is similar to the U2 Concept, although the Naimo will probably boast that it has a "holographic instrument cluster".

The Kia Naimo came with a Permanent Magnet Synchornous Motor, an electric motor that produces 109 horsepower and 206 pound-feet of torque. These figures translate to a top speed of 93 mph and lithium-ion battery pack range of 124 miles on one charge.

Conclusion

For it's purpose, Toyota did well for itself with the U-squared Urban Utility Concept. It fits the all the elements of a concept that reflects the lifestyle and needs of any young urban driver.

It would've been nice if Toyota actually has bigger plans for the concept than just being a showpiece prototype. Hopefully, that day will come sooner than later.