A concept car that is designed for and will be marketed exclusively to Jehovah’s Witnesses will be unveiled through a series of international religious assemblies in the summer of 2002.
The car, developed secretly in conjunction with the Toyota Motor Corp and The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society in New York, is designed to optimize publisher performance in the church’s evangelical membership drive and to leave a good public impression about Jehovah’s Witnesses. Biometric sensors built into the car's steering mechanism also monitor a driver's pulse and galvanic skin response - sweat level - for signs of agitation, and play smoothing religious songs when the driver is upset.
If the church member fails to spend at least 3 hours on the weekend in the assigned local area to engage in evangelical activity, the car's computer will issue an alert from a display on the dashboard or send a wireless message to the local headquarters. Toyota Motor Corp says the car, called Jah-Pod, can also convey the driver's religious message to other drivers or pedestrians, by using digital display panels attached to the front and rear. A church spokesman said the advertising would be aimed at encouraging good will towards Jehovah’s Witnesses and making people more receptive to individual personal visitations by church members.
Different Jehovah’s Witness drivers identify themselves to the vehicle using a special tag attached to their personal and unique bible translation. This communicates wirelessly with the on-board computer system via a radio link to activate the engine and customize the vehicle's suspension and handling. For example, the gear settings would be altered for a heavier driver or several passengers. Another church innovation is said to be a new built in GPS system that automatically directs the driver to the assigned territory for door-to-door preaching.
The car's wireless terminal can also be used to upload new data to Jah-Pod's onboard computer directly from Brooklyn headquarters, such as new music or a road map for a particular territory to be covered. The Jehovah’s Witnesses and Toyota are currently developing ways to allow the car's radio system to communicate with other Jah-Pod’s on the road. The research teams believe that the technology could be used to alert other Jehovah’s Witnesses to meet together for coffee and donuts at local restaurants or to automatically report time spent in the preaching work to the local body of elders.
Following the success of Jehovah’s Witnesses ubiquitous saying “Have a Nice Day,” the engineers have been inspired to give Jah-Pod a more friendly face. Lights on the front of the car can simulate a smile in order to show people in the neighborhood that we are friendly and nice people.
Production of the vehicles though may need to be put on hold as there is apparently much controversy over a design feature that allows the car’s computer system to spray water from the dashboard to prevent drivers and passengers from falling asleep while out in the field ministry. Unidentified spokesmen from the Toyota Motor Company claim there is much infighting in the Watchtower Society as to if they want their representatives showing up at your doorstep soaking wet or not showing up at all.