Toyota Pod

Toyota pod
Appears in	Gran Turismo Concept Gran Turismo 4 Prologue[1]
Manufacturer	Toyota
Drivetrain	FF
Engine	1.5L 4 cylinder (1NZ-FE)
Max Power	130 HP (97 kW)
Max Torque	317 lb.ft (430 Nm)
0-60 Mph	7.4 seconds
Top Speed	165 km/h+ (102 mph)+

The Toyota pod was a concept car created by Toyota in collaboration with Sony. The pod was first shown at the October 2001 Tokyo Motor Show. The pod was unique, as it was designed with artificial intelligence systems built in to the car to make it appear more personal.

The pod was much like a living being due to the artificial intelligence programmed into it. Featured is a screen inside with Sony-created software running on it, capable of creating shopping lists and running music and radio. The car could also judge the attitude and mood of the driver based on their reactions and how they are driving, and could offer advice on how to improve their current mood. The seats inside are like stools which could freely spin and rotate. On the exterior, the pod could express its own feelings with colored LEDs - red for anger, yellow for happy, blue for sad - and an antenna that wags, much like a dog's tail. For example, - in game - if you win a race using the pod, the LEDs will be colored yellow. If you crash, the LEDs will light up blue. And if the pod is being driven aggressively, the LEDs will light up red. The Pod was designed as a "car of the future" and hence was never put into production.

The pod featured only in Gran Turismo Concept and had an exclusive race to itself. A new track - of which used segments from the Clubman Stage Route 5 course - was created which involved a three lap race where a total of six pods, including the player, drive through the pit-lane backwards before stopping in a special area, holding the handbrake, for at least a second before being allowed to resume racing. If the stopping area is passed without coming to a halt, a message in red will appear saying, "Return to STOP area". Driving further past the finish line without returning will result in a disqualification (the message will display "FAIL").

AcquisitionEdit

GT ConceptEdit

The player can unlock this car by winning a Normal Level race at Tahiti Maze in reverse.

NotesEdit