Toyota plans Welcab-type seating in its Altis

Car seating for the old and physically challenged is set to get more user-friendly. Facilitating easier mobility is carmaker Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) which will display Welcab, a new seating concept at the Auto Expo. Welcab leverages a seat mechanism for swivelling the front passenger car seat out of the car door, close to the ground level. A completely new concept for the Indian market, Toyota is believe to be the first OEM to flag off its use in the country.

To be rolled out initially as an aftermarket product, the seat mechanism that rotates leftwards has been designed for use in existing and new models of the Corolla Altis. Later, it will be tweaked for other Toyota models and could even find applications in factory fitments of cars after gauging customer response. The product has been homologated and certified by the Indian government authorities and will be a mechanical product sans electronics.

People-friendly

With the growth in demand for vehicles that enable a smoother entry and exit of disabled people, Toyota Corporation of Japan took the lead in developing a number of people- friendly vehicles known as ‘Welcabs’, derived from the words welfare and cabin.

Overseas, Toyota has a range of vehicles equipped with a variety of applications, such as the Welcab friendmatic seat model, rotating and sliding front passenger seat model, wheelchair-adapted model and the side-lift seat model.

The seat mechanism, for which TKM has applied for a patent, will be placed below the front passenger seat with a lever mounted on the side to operate it, much on the lines of the seat-height adjust lever attached to the driver’s seat. According to sources, it has been designed by a Bangalore-based design firm over the last year with five people involved in its development. The product is expected to maintain the branding of the design house but will be manufactured by TKM suppliers after being patented by Toyota.

The seat mechanism, developed exclusively for the Indian market, draws similarities from the overseas Welcab in looks and functionality, while the mechanism’s internal concept is different and customised for Indian requirements.

Sources say that the Toyota Welcab seat comes as an OE fitment in Japan and while it is available in the aftermarket in the UK for some models, it is undertaken by a third party. The constraint is that the mechanism comes along with the entire seat, raising product cost. Among the other OEMs, Renault sells a similar product in its European cars but that is expensive due to the mechanism being clubbed with the seat.

A positive for Toyota’s Indian version will be that only the seat mechanism can be bought in the aftermarket without the need to replace the entire seat. The device will be available at the carmaker’s dealerships at a fourth of the overseas cost. The OEM visualises huge market potential for the innovative product as commutation for the old and physically challenged gains momentum in India.

It is believed that TKM is leveraging its Welcab seat in the Corolla Altis first as the saloon has a low floor and swivelling to ground level will be rendered easier. Moreover, the carmaker undertook a market survey to assess the model best suited for the Welcab seat mechanism.

The Etios is a relatively new model and still making its mark while the popular Innova is higher in terms of ground clearance, so it may not be the ideal launch pad to commence operations for the new product line, feels an analyst. For Toyota, the new seating concept would mean a spike in demand for its product line, simultaneously pitching it as a socially motivated manufacturer.