Toyota Advances Accessible Mobility with New Passenger Seats

Toyota City, Japan, September 24, 2015―Toyota has announced a new addition to the Welcab series of vehicles with factory-installed features for disabled people and the elderly: a rotating and tilting passenger seat. This is an easy-to-operate front passenger seat that swivels toward the door and tilts downwards to make it easier to get in and out of the vehicle. The seat will be available in Japan on the Sienta, Porte, and Spade models from late December.

As well as making it easier to get into and out of the vehicle, the swivel-tilt passenger seat reduces the space required to do so, making it possible to use standard parking spaces. The seat aims to be as comfortable as the standard model. To make it suitable for all types of passengers, a key concept behind the design was to reproduce the look and feel of a regular car.

Tilting seat mechanism

The seat tilts downward to make it easier to reach the ground, helping passengers exit the vehicle. The higher hip point assists with standing and sitting motions while also reducing the burden on the care-giver.

Space-saving design

The unique tilting seat mechanism means that only a small section of the seat protrudes from the vehicle. This allows for ingress and egress with only 45 cm² of free space beside the vehicle.

Quick and easy to operate

The swivel lever is located on the lower left of the seat, while the tilt button and grip are on the left shoulder. These two simple controls are all that is needed to rotate and tilt the seat.

No loss of comfort

Body strain has been minimized by positioning the seat cushions to mimic a conventional seat, and the level of comfort is close to that of a conventional passenger seat. Additionally, the passenger's line of sight is at roughly the same level as the driver's.