Back in 2008 Delhi Auto Expo, Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) had showcased a version of WagonR that offered swivel and slide operation on front passenger seat.Back then, I, being an arrogant and ignorant school kid, found the feature to be a ‘cool party trick’. It was only after some time had passed that I paid some attention to what some noble souls at Suzuki had come up with. The seat offered immense convenience to the unfortunately disabled. As an option, it did not made much sense to the manufacturer but made a lot of sense to those few who had a person with special medical condition in their family. Unfortunately, this seat never made it to a road going WagonR.
Now, Toyota has launched Easy Seat Technology for the Corolla Altis in India. The Easy Seat uses an almost similar swivel and slide mechanism that allows an easy entry and exit for people with special medical conditions like arthritis, etc. Unlike what happened with MSIL’s concept, this feature has made it to production and can be bought at any Toyota dealership across the country. The feature is available at an affordable price of Rs. 30,000. However, as expected, this feature cannot be purchased off the shelf but is made to order. Toyota is offering a one-year warranty with this seat. The limitations are that the seat is for only the front co-passenger and can be fitted at a Toyota dealership only.
“The Easy Seat will enable us to serve our customers better and cater to their special needs. Toyota’s global policy is to proactively provide travel solutions to a cross section of people,” said Sandeep Singh, Deputy MD, Toyota India.
it will be very relaxing for disabled who can not go for outing because of limitations.
i wish this technology should be extended in other cars so that more people will be benefitted.
wonderful idea. very thoughtful.the next car I buy will be a corolla for this feature alone.