Since Toyota revealed details of its concept S-FR, set to make its first appearance at the Tokyo Motor Show later this month, people in Japan have been picking their jaws up off the floor—but it’s got nothing to do with the car’s impressive specs or surprisingly low price point.
You see, the compact sports car looks astonishingly like Pikachu, the bright yellow electric rodent from the popular anime franchise Pokémon. And what’s even more surprising is that few people in the mainstream media are daring to comment on the astounding likeness.
The S-FR is one of three concept cars coming to the Toyota stand at the Tokyo Motor Show, which will be held at Tokyo Big Sight at Odaiba from October 30 to November 8 this year. The bright-yellow compact sports car is making headlines around the world for its impressive features, which have been leaked online ahead of their official release.
Measuring in at 3.99 metres (13 feet) long, 1.95 metres (5.5 feet) wide, and 1.32 metres (4.3 feet) tall, the four-seater is perfect for navigating Japan’s narrow roads, with the proportions giving it a classic sports car look.
Weighing 980 kilograms (2,160 pounds), the lightweight vehicle is powered by a 1.5 litre four-cylinder engine with about 130 horsepower.
▼ The car’s yellow-and-black theme extends to the interior design.
▼ Features include a six-speed manual gear knob.
What’s really caught everyone by surprise, though, is the car’s exterior design, particularly its angry-looking headlights which, when combined with the round grill, makes it look surprisingly like Pikachu.
▼ Twitter user @kumapapa_san created this cute graphic to highlight the similarities.
[tweet https://twitter.com/kumapapa_san/status/652417858668883968 align=’center’]Even behind the steering wheel, you can feel as if you’re powering up the electric rodent and navigating him around Japan.
While some Pokémon fans will be eagerly awaiting the chance to ride in Pikachu, some twitter users weren’t too happy about it looking like a Pokémon concept car.
[tweet https://twitter.com/kztk1109/status/652074749187653632 align=’center’]▼ Once you’ve seen it, it truly is hard to unsee.
With a surprisingly affordable estimated price tag of 1.5 million yen (US$12,484), Pikachu fans will have to keep their fingers crossed for the concept to be given the green light for production, which would probably mean a 2018 release date in Japan if given the go-ahead. Fans around the world, cross everything you can in the hope that it gets a worldwide release!
Source: Culture LAB, Paultan
Top Image: Toyota, Twitter/@kumapapa_san (edited by RocketNews24)
Insert Images: Toyota
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