Toyota’s LQ
AS CLOSE TO KITT AS WE’VE COME If you’re of an age where you can remember the old TV show Knight Rider, buckle up: KITT is here. Sure, the Toyota LQ doesn’t look much like the customised 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am that every single kid on the playground was obsessed with in the 80s. But its artificial intelligence capabilities are about as close to KITT’s as modern car designers have managed to create so far. Toyota says the LQ — which was first released as an electric concept car in 2019 — uses advanced technology to “build an emotional bond between car and driver”. Apparently, the combined capabilities of the car’s AI, its (SAE Level 4 equivalent) automated driving system and its personal assistant (called Yui) allow the car to learn from the driver and then deliver a highly personalised driving experience. The LQ will talk to you, just like KITT talked to David
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Hasselhoff. It’ll be able to change settings based on your mood – from the lighting and music to the air con and seat position. Through its facial recognition technology it’ll know if you’re tired, or if you’re not paying attention. Apparently, it’ll even have a conversation with you about your favourite topics, to stop you falling asleep. According to some sources, the concept has a 54.3 kWh battery pack, powering a 150 kW and 300 Nm motor for a 300 km range, and it’s powered by the same EV unit Lexus is using in the UX300e SUV. For all its technology and intuition, the LQ does diverge from KITT in at least one area: the famous Knight Rider car was a work of fiction. And while many concept cars are a little bit of make-believe, the LQ looks set to become a reality. Depending on who you believe, the car was meant to be a common sight around the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
