If you’ve ever just needed a companion to talk to on those long drives, Toyota‘s 10cm tall Kirobo Mini pretty much fits the bill.

Announced last year at the Tokyo Motor Show, this smaller version of the original Kirobo (which was sent to the ISS with astronaut Koichi Wakata in 2013) will set you back about USD$400, to be officially launched in 2017.

We’re not entirely sure of the extent of the Kirobo Mini’s abilities just yet, but it definately looks like it needs a smartphone connection and a 300 yen (about RM12) monthly subscription.

It probably also has some form of life-logging functions besides just responding when you talk to it, but we’ll see if it ever gets a local launch. Till then, check out the promo video of it below!

https://youtu.be/68p2-KK7WKw