This is the Yamaha Tricera, and it’s an electric three-wheeled, open-top vehicle that Yamaha just revealed at the Tokyo Motor Show. The idea behind it is to make an urban mobility vehicle that’s also rather fun and exciting to drive.
The three-wheeled market for a vehicle like this is largely dominated by the Polaris Slingshot here in the U.S., but this Yamaha being electric could be an interesting alternative if it’s ultimately sold stateside. The Tricera’s trick feature is its rear-wheel steering. While the front wheels turn like you’d normally expect, the single rear wheel can also turn, thereby tightening your turning circle or lending greater stability at higher speeds.
To make things even more interesting, Yamaha says there are both automatic and manual modes for the rear-wheel steering. Why? It “allows for the sense of accomplishment that comes when acquiring and developing new driving skills.” Yamaha wants to appeal to those who aren’t necessarily all-in on an autonomous future, so it wants to deepen the involvement that a driver might have with their vehicle.
As you can see from the photos, the Tricera is a two-seater and is operated via a steering wheel. All of the relevant information you might need while driving is on a screen mounted to the wheel. There’s a bar separating the driver from the passenger, creating two separate areas. Yamaha didn’t discuss any specs or details about the powertrain, only saying that the Tricera is electric. We’ll hope to learn more in the future should Yamaha move the project into production.
