A breakthrough in tankless toilets has encouraged Japan’s Panasonic Corp. to announce that it will halt production of conventional lavatories, complete with their bulky water tanks.
The company has unveiled its state-of-the-art Arauno V, which will go on sale in Japan on February 21 and starting at Y118,000 (€1,184). The top-of-the-range version, with additional functions, costs Y184,000 (€1,847).
The majority of Japanese lavatories are technological marvels that can be programmed to have a pre-heated seat at a desired temperature, bidet functions and music options to drown out other noises.
But most designs have been, until now, hampered by the large tank that is attached to the system to provide water when the lavatory is flushed. Such systems are also more difficult to keep clean.
The other drawback was the relatively high cost of the units. Panasonic has overcome that problem by limiting the number of functions on the most basic model and using mass-produced toilet seats.
The new tankless toilet takes its water direct from the home water supply — another problem for conventional models on upper storeys of buildings with low water pressure — and frees up space in the smallest room in the house.
“Tankless, water-saving toilets with attractive designs are designed to be easy and comfortable to use and environment-friendly and bring about a new lifestyle for users,” the company said.
The Arauno V is made of an organic glass-based material and is environmentally friendly because it uses less water, the company said.
Panasonic says it aims to increase its global sales of toilets 2.5-fold from the 2010 figure by 2015, earning Y30 billion (€301 million).
The company presently supplies tankless toilets to Taiwan as well as Japan, but has announced plans to introduce the systems in other markets than Japan by fiscal 2015.
Toto is Japan’s largest manufacturer of toilets, followed by Nais and Panasonic, and all three firms are planning to expand their sales operations and targets overseas. Key to that is providing environmentally friendly products that have a range of advanced functions.