Automotive

Yamaha offers quirky take on urban mobility with 05Gen and 06Gen concepts

Yamaha offers quirky take on urban mobility with 05Gen and 06Gen concepts
The latest additions to Yamaha's line of GEN concepts
The latest additions to Yamaha's line of GEN concepts
View 13 Images
06Gen with a wheelchair on board
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06Gen with a wheelchair on board
Yamaha envisions this as mobility for all
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Yamaha envisions this as mobility for all
The seats are made of a soft, welcoming material - like your sofa
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The seats are made of a soft, welcoming material - like your sofa
The materials chosen by Yamaha is designed to feel like your living room
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The materials chosen by Yamaha is designed to feel like your living room
The buggy is designed to invoke a Japanese veranda
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The buggy is designed to invoke a Japanese veranda 
There's room for some friends in the 06Gen
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There's room for some friends in the 06Gen
The 06Gen is like a fancy, high-end golf cart
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The 06Gen is like a fancy, high-end golf cart
With three wheels and a robo-windscreen/roof combination, 05Gen isn't your average bike
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With three wheels and a robo-windscreen/roof combination, 05Gen isn't your average bike
The roof/windscreen combo folds over the seat when it's not in use
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The roof/windscreen combo folds over the seat when it's not in use
The trike leans so you don't topple over in tight bends
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The trike leans so you don't topple over in tight bends
The roof covers the rider while they get to work on the pedal-electric drivetrain
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The roof covers the rider while they get to work on the pedal-electric drivetrain 
05GEN's windscreen and roof combo will protect you from light rain
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05GEN's windscreen and roof combo will protect you from light rain
The latest additions to Yamaha's line of GEN concepts
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The latest additions to Yamaha's line of GEN concepts
View gallery - 13 images

Yamaha is best known for its work on two wheels, but we've seen a recent raft of weird and wonderful concepts designed to improve or redefine our idea of mobility on three, and even four wheels. The most recent 05Gen and 06Gen concepts fall on the weirder side of the ledger and are designed to provide a unique way to cover short distances at a leisurely pace.

05Gen

The trike leans so you don't topple over in tight bends
The trike leans so you don't topple over in tight bends

The first of Yamaha's new concepts is the three-wheeled 05Gen, which is designed to let drivers (or riders?) cover short distances without being totally closed off from the world. With a small footprint, the concept isn't too big to use on city streets or even in a crowded shopping mall.

Riders are able to store their things in a small storage compartment, and the concept will lean into turns to help prevent it from toppling over.

Just like an eBike, the pedals are backed up by an electric assist system, but unlike most eBikes, there's a panoramic windshield designed to provide a little bit of shelter from light winds and rain. Yamaha likens it to a light garment draped over the rider's body.

06Gen

The 06Gen is like a fancy, high-end golf cart
The 06Gen is like a fancy, high-end golf cart

Yamaha's latest four-wheeled concept, the 06Gen looks like the love child of a golf cart and the Disneyland parking shuttle. It was also designed to handle short-range urban trips, but this time there's room for the driver's friends to come along for the ride.

The materials in the cabin have been chosen to feel inviting, with soft materials and curved surfaces to encourage passengers to face each other and chat, rather than just sit idly in a row.

Instead of calling on an overgrown windscreen to protect its occupants, 06GEN has a proper roof. With no windscreen or windows, you're still not totally sheltered from the elements, but that's not really the point. Instead, Yamaha wants the design to invoke engawa, which are the covered verandas often found on Japanese houses.

Both concepts will be displayed at the Toyo Ito Museum of Architecture from July 4 until June 15 2017.

Source: Yamaha

View gallery - 13 images
2 comments
2 comments
bobflint
What are those silly screens and roofs suppose to stop.....bird poop???
Guess it doesn't rain or snow sideways in the land of Yama ha ha..
hearthhealth
Re: rain protection. As a cyclist who will cycle during a rain event, I would say this roof-but-no-windscreen design is a problem. Standing still or going very slowly, the roof will work fine. But any speed will require intercepting the raindrops on the vehicle's leading edge.
I use an umbrella that I hold over my head at intersections, and then lay on my front basket after getting up to speed (the force of the wind holds it in place). No protection, though, for the feet and lower legs.