Japanese carmaker Toyota has come up with a sporty, open-top concept designed to bring children and parents together in the age of smartphones and Internet games.

The Camatte57s is a toy-like vehicle with an upright windscreen and can be driven by children. The concept was displayed in the Kids Life Zone at the recent International Tokyo Toy Show 2013 rather than on a car show stand, Toyota points out.

Pedals and seats can be adjusted, which means young children can make an early start learning to drive, away from the public highway.

Adults can assist with steering and braking thanks to the positioning of the steering wheel and the adjustability of the brakes and seats.

The bodywork consists of 57 detachable panels made of lightweight panels finished in a range of colours and designs, hence the figure suffix in the name.

Power comes from an electric motor and seats are in a closely arranged in a triangular configuration with one front seat and two rear seats to emphasise family intimacy and to ease communication.

The name Camatte is based on the Japanese word for “care” meant to signify “caring for others”. The “s” stands for the Japanese word “sawaru”, which means to touch. Toyota says the name reflects the idea that people should feel more “in touch” with each other and with vehicles in general.

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