Toyota chose the 2010 Detroit Show to unveil an Auto Access Seat designed for use in the all-new 2011 Sienna minivan, which goes on sale in the States in February 2010. The Auto Access Seat offers owners a transportation solution for elderly and disabled passengers or for that matter, anyone who may need assistance getting in or out of a vehicle.
The seat, which features a one-touch operation and has a lift capacity of up to 330 lbs, rotates 90 degrees and can be lowered to within 19 inches of the ground to further facilitate easier passenger transfers at the exact height required. It also allows up to four inches of slide travel and reclining of up to 24 degrees once the passenger is inside the car.
While we’ve seen most Japanese automakers offering this option in their domestic market models, Toyota is the first automaker in North America to offer a factory-installed, rotating, power ascending/descending lift-up seat in of its vehicles.
The Auto Access Seat will be available on Sienna LE and XLE models with the seat fabric matching the vehicle interior fabric. Toyota said that it will come with a three-year/36,000 mile factory warranty.
