Toyota Camatte Hajime
Toyota Camatte Hajime
By Budd Stanley
What you see before you is called the Toyota Camatte Hajime. Yes, it is a bit cutesy, but it’s kind of supposed to be. One, because it was designed by Toyota to show to a Japanese audience - the Japanese have an affinity for cute, cuddly little cars. Two, it was designed for kids. As a simple and fun electric powered three-seater, it’s an exercise to get kids interested in motoring, allowing them to drive a real car with mom and dad in the rear seats.
Why am I showing you rugged Canadian outdoorsman this cute little Japanese runabout? Because when I look at this car, I see potential. Let me explain.
I miss the days of a simple utilitarian 4WD. You may have heard me bitch about this before, and you certainly will later in this issue. Regardless, manufacturers don’t build simple 4WD’s anymore, the most utilitarian is the Jeep Rubicon, and I’m definitely not going to clean it out with a garden hose. Therefore, we buy old 4WD’s because they are basic, simple to modify, easy to fix in the field, and aren’t filled with unnecessary, ready-to-fail technologies.
The more simple and bare bones a 4WD is, the more fun it is to drive. When there are fewer driver aids, and luxury embellishments separating man and machine, you are rewarded with a more intuitive experience. I’ve driven some of the most amazingly capable modern 4WD’s on the market, and while their ability, power and speed blow your mind, I am always yearning to hand them back and jump into my little Samurai and experience the joy of a basic vehicle. One that doesn’t flash lights and sound alarms ever time I lose traction, or shift into 4WD, or pull a maneuver that would be considered dangerous by some bureaucrat sitting behind a desk.
The Hajime is the only modern design that has done away with all the modern distractions that seem standard in vehicles these days. And what a fantastic way to introduce children to motoring; give them a chassis with a motor, a seat, a steering wheel, a couple pedals and four wheels, it doesn’t even have doors. Take away all the modern luxuries and they will see cars for what they truly are, mechanical vehicles to pilot, not entertainment systems, luxury lounges or status symbols.
Now, take another look back at the photo above. Ignore the fact that the Hajime was built for children. Imagine Michelin military tires and a 2-in lift. Now what do you see? I see a modernized version of a VW Kubelwagen, or VW/Bombardier Iltis, or dare I even say a 2016 Willys Jeep! Put a Land ‘Cruiseresque’ headlight grille on it and you have the modern day FJ20. Do you see it?
What if Toyota gave some serious thought into upgrading the Hajime? Build a proper 4-seat version for big boys with 4WD, a two-speed transfer case, a fold down windshield, a canvas top for rainy days, and sell it for $15,000. I think this would inject some needed character into the Toyota lineup that has a noticeable void where the FJ Cruiser once sat. It could be Toyota’s FRS to the 4WD world.
Oh, it’s wonderful to dream. The painful problem is that even if Toyota wanted to build it, the Canadian government would say, “Not so fast, where are the airbags, the crumple zones, and the ABS and traction control? Where are the back up cameras, the rollover protection, the catalytic converters and Urea injection… blah blah blah… every vehicle must be built for the lowest common denominator… blah blah... the headlights must be exactly 609 mm from the ground…” Toyota would then take these regulations, do a redesign that would pass all the laws and we would end up with another FJ Cruiser that costs over $30,000.
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