We’re all in favour of getting children interested in cars at an early age, but leave it to Toyota to take the idea and run with it through an iPhone game that lets preschoolers steer along with their parents.
While the free “Backseat Driver” app, the first from a new arm of the company called ToyToyota, looks like a Japanese-only game, it’s available in the United States and works on American roads – or at least in my neighbourhood. Using the phone’s GPS, the app lets kids drive a “Mama Car”, following the same route driven by their parents, while a “Papa Car” ahead poops little cartoon prizes. Collect enough prizes and the kiddos can customise their car with sparkly paint, then share their successes on Twitter.
This is pretty much how it works in the adult world too – at least, in Toyota’s version of it. To try the fun in iPhone variety, go here.