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| Basis of Welcab Development |
With the advent of an aged society in view,
the roles which vehicles are being required to fulfill are growing in terms
of promoting participation in society by elderly and handicapped persons.
People want their vehicles to possess a range of user-friendly devices
and functions to cope with various lifestyles: handicapped people driving
their own vehicles, transporting elderly or handicapped passengers, or
having handicapped family members join in family outings.
Toyota has been quick to undertake the development and popularization of
Welcab1 vehicles for the disabled, under the philosophy of offering all people
easy mobility, and as of the end of FY2002 had extended it to 109 types2
in 51 vehicle series. With the aim of giving all people access to the user-friendly
technology Toyota has accumulated, ongoing development is being promoted
under five key points: (1) Communication and care; (2) Friendliness to drivers
and carers; (3) Ease of ingress and egress; (4) High comfort; and (5) Reasonable
pricing.
1. Welcab: Name of a series of vehicles for
the disabled developed by Toyota. The name Welcab is derived from combining
the words "welfare" and "cabin."
2. Type: Differentiated by Welcab Wheelchair-adapted model, Welcab Side Lift-up
Seat model, etc. |
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•Expansion
of Welcab Lineup
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Raum with Lift-up Front Passenger Seat
(Panorama
Open Door) |
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| Towards the Popularization of Welcab Vehicles |
| Against the
social background of the aging society and the development of a welfare
society, the need for vehicles for the disabled is growing every year.
In 2002, the number of Welcab units sold by Toyota in Japan was 14,304,
a more than 8.5-fold increase compared to 1995, while the number of
driver's license holders restricted to use with vehicles designed for
the disabled, or subject to similar restrictions, reached about 235,000
in 2001. This indicates that interest in driving is increasing among
the disabled year by year. Toyota supports independence and care-giving
by lining up a range of vehicles which are equipped with a variety
of applications, such as the Welcab Friendmatic Seat model, Welcab
Rotating and Sliding Front Passenger's Seat models, and Welcab Wheelchair-adapted
model. |
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•Sales
of Welcab Vehicles and Market Share
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•History of
Main Welcab Activities
| Decade |
Year |
Toyota activities |
| 1960s
- '70s |
'75 |
•Restructuring of Hiace
vehicles for the disabled at Toyota Group specialty manufacturers
starts |
| 1980s |
'81 |
•Sales of restructured
vehicles -Handicab and Friendmatic- start, to mark the International
Year of Disabled Persons |
| '82 |
•Launch of Friendmatic
II vehicle for users with disability in both arms (Corolla) |
| 1990s |
'94 |
•Launch of Japan's first
vehicle with Side Lift-up Seat |
| '96 |
•Development of vehicle
with Rotating Front Passenger Seat (Tersel, Corsa, Corolla II) |
| '97 |
•Raum receives Universal
Design Prize of Good Design Award |
| '98 |
•Name of vehicles for
the disabled series changed from Toyota TECS Welfare Vehicle
series to Toyota Welcab series
•Welcab features adopted in dedicated taxi modelJapan's first rotating back seat
developed (Crown Comfort, Comfort) |
| 1990s |
'98 |
•Opening of Japan's first
Welcab general display space - Toyota Heartful Plaza in Tokyo
and Kobe
•Side Lift-up Seat newly developed with full electric operation
and dismountable features |
| '99 |
•Launch of hybrid vehicle
fitted with Welcab features (Prius) |
| 2000s |
'00 |
•FunCargo slope-type
added to wheelchair-adapted models
•Opening in Hiroshima of Welcab general display space Toyota Heartful Plaza |
| '01 |
•Opening in Chiba of
Welcab general display space Toyota Heartful Plaza
•Weldrive System newly developed (Estima T/L) |
| '02 |
•Opening in Nagoya of
Welcab general display space Toyota Heartful Plaza |
| '03 |
•Launch of vehicle (Raum)
with Lift-up Front Passenger Seat (Panorama Open Door) |
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