27 Dec, 2008
Toyota’s Winglet is coming in 2009
After a recent spell of bad news, here’s a good one for Toyota.
The Winglet, Toyota’s personal transporter in the style of Segway, will start initial production next year, 2009. Aiming for corporate customers, Toyota will deliver the first batch of 10 Winglets to the Central Japan International Airport in Aichi Prefecture.
This early release of the Winglet represents a new thrust in the transportation market for Toyota, which is currently experiencing a steep drop in car sales due to worldwide recession.
Because the Winglet can’t be used on public roads due to Japan’s traffic laws, Toyota wants to focus its early sales on corporate customers who can deploy the machines on large-scale establishments. It also aims to collect feedback from these companies to improve the transporter further as a prelude to full-scale mass production.
The Central Japan International Airport has deployed the Winglets since autumn of this year and has been testing the machines before actual use.
The Winglet, which will compete with the similarly constructed Segway, is one of the products that came out of Toyota’s purchase of Sony’s robotics division in spring 2006. Toyota wants to position the machine as a “personal transportation support robot” for use in short-distance travel especially by old people and those with disabilities. (Yuppies were not mentioned.)
Winglet vs. Segway
So how does the Winglet compare with a Segway?
The two machines look similar and employ similar technologies. One noticeable difference is the size: the 10kg Winglet is just one-third the weight of the Segway, which looks more robust. (The Winglet’s top speed is 6km/h compared to 12.5km/h for the Segway.) With Toyota’s focus on portability, the small size and light weight is a step in the right direction. However, expect to see more rugged versions of the Winglet in the future.
A bigger difference is the price. Segway sells for around ¥1,000,000 (around $11,000 at the current exchange rate) in Japan while the projected price for a mass produced Winglet is just ¥300,000 (around $3,300), according to Toyota.
Central Japan International Airport already deploys two Segway transporters for security personnel use. For the same price they could get six Toyota Winglets. Segway should be worried.
Check out the Winglet in action:
{Via Fuji Sankei}
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