First Sight: Toyota Me.We concept

Hot on the fluorescent heels of Renault's recent Twin'Z reveal in Milan, Toyota revealed its own industrial design collaboration, the ME.WE, at a private event at the its upscale showroom Le Rendez-vous Toyota on the Champs Elysées in Paris last week.

Designed jointly by Toyota's ED2 studio in the south of France and renowned French architect and industrial designer Jean-Marie Massaud, the ME.WE is a polyvalent 4-seat electric vehicle to "combat the crisis". It is designed to be simple and functional, yet also project an image of intelligence for our modern times. What is most striking about this approach is the decision to use polyurethane foam exterior body panels. There's a certain naïveté to this approach – one that was compared to student projects by several auto designers present – but also a freshness that was appreciated and celebrated by much of the assembled Parisian fashion and architectural elite.

Beneath the foam panels lies a simple aluminum structure and all electric drivetrain that frees the interior of the car up for a maximum use of space. This creates a Kei car-esque form factor that is accentuated by the blocky design. A wraparound greenhouse reduces the visual weight somewhat, but it's hard to ignore the fundamental heaviness of the design – a dramatic contrast to the lightweight materials and ecological footprint of the car. The visual mass of the car was certainly not helped by the model's charcoal gray color and unfinished surface – a real shame in light of some of the bright, modern colors and textures on display in scale model form.

Of course, one of the primary benefits of the foam panel design is personalization, so although the full-scale model perhaps lacks the modern finish, refinement, and boldness we expect of a concept, the scale models showed some truly interesting possibilities for the material. Perhaps the design could be refined by the owners themselves, or finished with a dimple texture to improve aerodynamic efficiency? Intriguing thoughts that Jean-Marie Massaud brings from architectural and industrial design, but that are completely unproven in the automotive world.

In the front, the DRG of the ME.WE is a massive departure from the current Toyota brand, with just simple round projector lamps and a single aluminum bar protruding through the thick foam panels to create the face of the vehicle. A refreshingly clean theme from Toyota, but overly simplistic in establishing the brand identity, looking more like something from Smart's stable than anything from the Japanese brand. In the rear, a simple light bar wraps elegantly around the edge of the tailgate and feels like a nice connection between the exterior and the interior.

The roof is made from the same bamboo as the interior floor, with gaps between the panels allowing light into the cabin and projecting – whether by design or coincidence – a wonderful pattern of light across the passengers. The roof is designed to be a primary luggage space, with a weatherproof cover to protect your cargo. Surrounding the bamboo roof however, is a polished aluminum ‘ring' that provides the rigid crash structure, but also holds some cleverly integrated rear-view cameras. It also distinguishes the ME.WE from the recent contrast-roof trend, as seen on the Mini, Opel Adam, and Citroën DS3 – all potential competitors in the real-world marketplace.

The interior of the ME.WE presents a vastly different impression from the heavy exterior, and represents a real step forward for Toyota in terms of color and trim. A smooth and continuous bamboo floor wraps from the minimal hood, over a beautifully folded IP, and then extends all the way through the car and out the rear tailgate. This creates a light and elegant interior that is fully integrated with the exterior and evokes sailing and trips to the beach. Continuing this theme of a welcoming but minimal space, the seat materials are of a lovely, heavy-weave fabric with coarse, visible stitching that would look at home on a mid-century sofa or a deck chair on the French Riviera. The minimal bench seating fore and aft invoked memories of the Citroën Mehari for many, although the original 2CV seating is perhaps a more accurate analogy. To increase storage space, the rear bench seat employs a clever trick of folding itself in half and sliding below the front, maximizing load capacity. Suicide-style doors ensure the space is easy to access from any angle.

The IP is utterly minimalist to great effect, and an open-topped steering wheel incorporating a smartphone and two tiny stalks are the only controls. A single rectangular TFT driver display shows speed and other essential information. Tiny slits carved out of the aluminum structure function as ventilation in the most simplistic way possible, and the overall impression is one of solidity and lightness. A paradox that is unfortunately not shared with the exterior.

Overall, the Toyota ME.WE represents a very French perspective on the where the B-segment market should go in uncertain economic times. It presents an architectural solution to the increasing demand for personalization in small cars, while simultaneously trying to create something that can be used casually and without preciousness. It's easy for car designers to reject its simple approach as naïve, but it would be a mistake to not recognize that the underlying concept is solid, valid, and maybe even necessary if the economic crisis continues.

It's refreshing to see Toyota's unique concepts outside the usual motor show circuit and in its natural habitat, mixing with artists and designers in the heart of the city and, with a little refinement, the ME.WE could be very interesting for Toyota's presence in Europe.

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By Dean Warn-Héme