Do you remember your first car? Maybe it was even a Toyota. Think of all the freedom it brought you and the excitement you felt as you cruised down country lanes and city streets. Now, stop. Think about what it would have felt like not to experience that sense of wanderlust. That's what many teenagers and young adults are facing today- except that some of them actually choose technology over having an automobile. BBC News reports, "In 1978, 50% of 16-year-olds had obtained their first driving licen[s]e. In 2008, according to the US Transportation Department, it was just 30%.The number of those aged 19 and under with driving licen[s]es has also been in steady decline since its 1978 peak, when 11,989,000 had one. In 2010, it was 9,932,441, or 4.1% of American drivers."¹And, this isn't all; the more shocking news is that in a recent survey, 46 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds stated that they would choose having internet access over owning their own cars. Gone are the days of sex-symbol vehicles; it's now more popular to interact using social media and gaming platforms.

Enter the Toyota Fun-Vii: a vehicle with technology so integrated, it almost functions as a giant smart phone or iPad. Targeted at the current generation that's doing less driving than previous ones, this Toyota includes such features as: an avatar "navigation concierge" which pops up from the dashboard to provide advice to the driver, a fully customizable exterior complete with graphics made of electronic displays, technologically advanced safety features, and the ability for drivers to connect with other people by tapping their touch-panel doors. In connection with this project, Toyota is also working with the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design to cultivate its "Windows to the World" project. This technology would turn car windows into a transparent touch screen so passengers could interact virtually with the world outside of the automobile.

Maybe the Fun-Vii concept car seems a bit outrageous to you, but we at Toyota Sunnyvale can see the vehicle being produced in some form due to the rapid increase of automobile-technology integration. If you are interested in the latest technologies (without the holograms), check out our new Toyota inventory. Located at 898 W. El Camino Real Sunnyvale, CA 94087, we're easy to find.

Source:¹http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15847682