The Toyota Camatte is the coolest car Toyota will never make

The Toyota Camette has body panels, wheels and interior components that can pop out and be replaced by completely different ones rapidly.
Toyota is not known for frivolous thinking. Still, if you take a gander at the Toyota Camatte and you realize that all of these photos are of the same car with different body panels, you KNOW the designers had fun with this concept.

At about 9-feet long and just over 4-feet wide, the Camatte is a rolling chassis that completely comes apart, all the way down to the underpinnings. The whole point of this exercise was to build a vehicle that children can play with too.

Yep, children.

The centrally located seat and pedals are adjustable to the point of a kid’s ability to reach. The Toyota Camatte has room for three and is easy enough for a child to drive it. Imagine an over sized go-kart and you’re on the right track. The side passenger’s seats provide enough space for adults and, perhaps a tiny bit of space for cargo.

This is the same car with different panels that are different colors. Pretty cool no?
This concept was never intended to be taken seriously. The Toyota Camatte concept was introduced at the 2012 Toyota Toy show. So, next to game consoles, Transformers models and R/C cars – there’s a real car.

I gravitated to the Toyota Camatte because there is some brilliant imagination here and some serious design went into it. I know a lot of teens all over the world would love to take their vehicle, like an open top roadster, and turn it into a dune-buggy or a mini-pickup truck. Imagine the possibilities.

Toyota has absolutely no plans to build the Camette. No way, no how. Bummer.
The Toyota Camatte could be a hell of a good way to usher in a compact electric or hybrid vehicle on a versatile platform. Just like the Toyota Camatte concept, you could have a vehicle that has lightweight parts that can be interchanged in a matter of hours.

As far as we know, the Toyota Camette concept does not have a real powerplant. But, consider how cool an EV or hybrid would be!
You want to get the next generation excited about their future rides? A Prius C may get a few excited, but it’s still a tad boring. Why not give them the same powertrain and a platform that can become something different when the need arises?

I think it would be super cool.

Here’s a fun video with me and Roman comparing the Prius V with the Ford C-Max… fun stuff.

Easily amused by anything with four wheels, Nathan Adlen reviews vehicles from the cheapest to the most prestigious. Wrecking yards, dealer lots, garages, racetracks, professional automotive testing and automotive journalism – Nathan has experienced a wide range of the automotive spectrum. His words, good humor and video are enjoyed worldwide.