The car market varies across the world, as we know, and how cars are marketed no less so. But the idea of creating a car brand as an element in an exercise in branding across many sectors, from PCs to cars to beer is a new one to me, and unique to Japan. The WiLL Cypha was the automotive element.
In 1999, a range of Japanese companies, including Toyota, Panasonic, Ezaki Glico confectionery and Asahi Breweries, worked together to build a range of products aimed at 18-30 year old, above average affluence consumers. The WiLL Cypha was one of Toyota’s contributions.
The initial WiLL car was the Vi, an even more distinctively styled vehicle, with echoes of Citroen Ami and 2CV, and even Ford Anglia. That car lasted just two years before being superseded by the more rational hatchback VC, also known as the Cypha.
Both the Vi and the Cypha were based on the 1999-2005 Toyota Yaris/Echo/Vitz hatchback, with a conventional transverse engine, front wheel drive configuration, using 1.3 or 1.5 litre engines, with a four speed automatic gearbox.
Sales were nominally restricted to Japan, and aimed at the aforementioned younger consumers in major metropolitan areas. These people would accept the penalties of style over practically, with reduced luggage space for example, and the love it or hate it styling. Stacked double headlamps in 2002? Still available!
The interior is still distinctive, if a little calmer with a MINI like large centrally mounted circular binnacle. The earlier VC had a bench seat and dash mounted shifter
I saw this car in New Zealand last month, a market that seemingly happily receives pre-owned Japanese market vehicles in a fairly significant numbers. Right hand drive and the rigours of the Japanese testing regime (the infamous shaken) are certainly factors – indeed Japan exports over a million used cars a year. I also saw a WiLL Vi as well, although not when I was in full Curbivore mode.
A perfect car to drive on Halloween,Pumpkin on wheels.
Payam
Ha funny love that comment, so true. It looks like a prototype design that made it to the road.
That front end is Cadillac-ugly.
scottn59c
No don’t say that, it’s an insult to the beautiful front end of Cadillac (recent models).
There might be a “shaken-baby syndrome” joke in here somewhere, but I’m not going in after it.
(Because I am an incorrigible car-lights boffin, I immediately notice something interesting about the maroon probably-Nissan in the background of the first pic)
The amber reflector-thingy? What is that for?
That’s a rear sidemarker light and reflector. The US and Canada are the only countries that require all vehicles since 1/1/70 to have front and rear sidemarker lights and reflectors—amber front and red rear. The international UN (formerly “European”) regulations permit sidemarkers but do not require them. If they’re present, they have to be amber front and rear, unless the rear ones are physically part of an assembly that also incorporates other rear lighting functions, then the rear ones can be either amber or red. Japan used to specify red rear sidemarkers if they were present (not required) but signed onto the UN regs about a decade ago and so the Japanese rule is now “amber if they’re present”. Most commonly, US/Canada vehicles have either front and rear lamps with the sidemarkers built in (no sidemarkers in the rest-of-world lamps), or market-specific front and/or rear bumper fascias containing the sidemarkers (no sidemarkers in the rest-of-world bumper fascias). A few models, such as this and some other Nissans, a few Mazdas, a few Volvos (S/V40 for awhile), a few Jaguars, and some American cars (Corvette, some Cadillacs) have the same bumper fascia and an amber rather than red rear sidemarker outside the US/Canada markets.
Volvos in Europe have amber sidemarker lights, which I regard as extremely dangerous, as amber is used for turn indicators.
I love the Vi but hate the Cypha.
Most of Volvo’s present models don’t have sidemarkers in Europe; some of their past models did.
It could be argued that amber-front-and-rear sidemarkers might present a potential issue, since they could maybe screw with the perception of which way a car is pointing (and going). It would be a weak argument without much of any data to support the notion, but the American amber front/red rear sidemarker setup avoids the question altogether.
There is no safety threat from amber front sidemarkers. The colour convention, which is adhered to rather rigidly in Europe, is white = front (including the “effective front” of the car when it is moving in reverse), amber = lateral (presence or movement), and red = rear (presence or stopping). If you claim amber sidemarkers are dangerous because amber is also used for turn signals, then you must also claim that red tail lights are dangerous because red is also used for brake lights, and white front position lamps are dangerous because white is also used for headlamps, and while it’s been shown that green tail/red brake would have been smarter, the red/red system works well enough that nobody’s very interested in changing it.
That’s a CA33 Maxima by the looks of it, although it could be a Jap import Cefiro. The same model as an I30 Infiniti in the US.
On these for NZ, Aus and Jap markets the amber side markers aren’t actually illuminated at all – they’re just the shell of a lamp, complete with the space for the bulb etc, but the bulb-holder hole isn’t machined out.
Thank you. I knew it was some kinda Nissan product, but was feeling too lazy to go digging around for the particulars.
Interesting about no bulb — Mazda did the same on some MX5 Miatas. Is the amber lens a reflector, or just plain amber plastic?
And the lamp shell frequently falls out (especially on the gold/fawn Maximas it appears) leaving a triangular hole – …!
They’ve never seemed very reflective when I’ve seen them at night, they seem to be exactly the same as a lamp – no reflex pattern to them.
And yes, as you say Scott, they only take a minor scrape or deformation of the bumper to fall out. 261853Y500 (LH Front) being the most common…… can you tell I’ve sold a few over the years!
Okay, I know I fly my freak flag as a certified contrarian, but I actually LIKE the Vi. I really like the idea that since I don’t have to haul around 2.2 kids, I don’t haul a trailer, and do not like to see 35 other cars that look just like mine in a parking lot, that something like this would be available. The problem with niche cars is that they almost never sell to the niche that they were created for. Take the Scion Xb. Made for hip twenty-somethings, you mostly saw 50-somethings with a bad hip driving them new.I know I was not a part of the demographic targeted, and since we like our LHD cars over here, I guess I will never drive one, but it would bring a large smile to this wrinkled old face.
Same effect with the Honda Element…
Even better if your Element has its spare up on the roof. Very easy to spot.
You might not be surprised to know that I’ve always had a soft spot for the Vi, and I’d be quite happy to drive one, although the lack of a hatch would be less than practical. The dog wouldn’t be happy about that either.
The lights do remind me of the vertical direction taken by Art & Science Cadillacs and the current Prius.
It’s really a curious mixture of cues from different eras though. That lower character line distinctly suggests the separate fenders of the 30’s/40’s, while the vertical lights have quite a modern look, and the overall shape of the body absent those distinctive cues is kind of generic modern. The Vi is stranger yet, and yet I find myself strangely wanting one.
You must be joking! And I thought the 2017 Toyota Prius was hideous to look at. This takes hideous to a whole new ugly level. I’m sorry, but it’s definitely not my choice of car. 🙁
+1. You have to laugh
Laugh I did, I think I designed these on a 3 day binge consisting of nothing but shots of Vladimir chased with PBRs!
Looking at these has me wondering. Was the 61 Plymouth all that bad?
Call me weird, but I like cars with 5 star crash test ratings with a hint of styling
thrown in.
There are lots of these in NZ all the Toyota Wills are well represented the running gear as you say is common to other models so parts are no problem, the tough shaken test is far more rigorous than our WOF test every six months, old jdm cars last quite well here long enough for them to become unreliable.
I actually to a certain extent like the Vi! But those Cadillac headlights on the Will …… Not to May pallet one bit. I am also of the School of Differences. I like to see my own car in the parking lot. But …… I suppose on that note, if enough were sold that it paid the bills I probably wouldn’t want it… Just part of being a cantankerous old coot I suppose. I also wear purple….
Yep, see these very regularly here in Auckland, and the Vi too.
We see a LOT of ex-JDM. Today I was sat in traffic behind a “Honda Airwave”, which I’ve never seen or heard of before. And probably won’t notice if I see it again, because it was such a bland sub-odyssey thing. It rather reminds me of the 1970s UJM – “Universal Japanese Motorcycle”. Competent, similarly styled vehicles, all with very similar underpinnings. Nice to see something like the Cypha that stands out from the crowd.
wow, I didn’t know THAT one existed !
And I wish things would have stayed that way…
Have you seen a VS in NZ?
That one is striking. When When I played Gran Turismo 4 I thought it was a concept.
Not sure about Roger, but I see WiLL VSs regularly. They looked fab years ago when they first started arriving and still look fab now – in black they remind me of Darth Vader’s helmet…
Roger! You were in the country and didn’t pop by to say hi?! 😉 No doubt our huge number of JDM imports would have kept you intrigued for days on end with their sheer variety of models.
Hi Scott, there’s quite a long story involving a hire car, a double roll over and 5 days’ of hospital I’ll tell you about one day……but it is a great country with wonderful people. And we’ll be back without the rollover and hospital..:-))))
I would have a Vi in my driveway, except for two problems, an apparent dearth of trunk space and a visible dearth of parcel shelf space for my Winky the Cat.