Millennials make the headlines these days. Whether it’s about their job prospects in the 21st century economy, or how they’re changing the future in some way or another. However, there’s another generation that industry is paying attention to, and that’s Generation Z.
Just like the fast-paced youth culture, the automotive industry is seeing drastic changes. Some predict driverless cars will hit the market as soon as 2020. Whether that prediction will come to fruition is yet to be seen, but one thing is certain: the car market will change to fit the majority of consumers.
Looking to the future, Toyota and Clemson University unveiled the uBox, a concept vehicle aimed at the Generation Z market, at the Society for Automotive Engineers World Congress in Detroit this week.
Designed and built by a cohort of graduate students from Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research over a two-year program, the uBox is a hulking, muscular vehicle with a curved glass roof, and an interior that can be rearranged to fit the activities of the passengers.
“So many people when they turn 16 or 17, they’re so excited about driving and getting their first car,” Johnell Brooks, a graduate professor and human factors psychologist, told R&D Magazine.
However, Generation Z is more interested in the communication and technology aspects of the vehicle, she said. They want something that has more to offer than simply getting them from point A to point B.
The uBox marks the sixth car in the Deep Orange series, a collaboration between Clemson University graduate students and more than 20 different industry partners. Brooks has been with the program since Deep Orange 2. Her job is to ensure that graduate students understand the end user of the vehicle, and design the car with the customer in mind.
“From Toyota’s perspective, it was really about educating the future engineer,” she said. “There’s just such a difference between what you learn theoretically in a textbook and what you (learn) in a hands-on experience.”
Leveraging the data sources provided by industry partners, Brooks and the students were able to create composite personas of potential Generation Z buyers. They also interviewed two members of the generation, one from Austin, the other from San Diego.
The ideal car: one tailored for urban living with an active entrepreneur in the passenger seat.
Vents, dashboard display bezels, and door trim can be personalized and fabricated using 3D printing technology. A compact, dual-purpose, all-electric powertrain allows the driver and passengers to charge various electronics with 110-volt sockets located throughout the car’s interior and exterior.
“Working with Toyota was absolutely phenomenal,” Brooks added. “To give opportunities to students is just really exciting and inspiring.”
To learn more about the Deep Orange series, go here.
