Talks spread around on Toyota’s plan to build an iQ Hybrid.
Its predecessor, the upcoming Toyota iQ, already enjoys good reviews with its petrol-powered 1.0 –liter, 3-cylinder, 70 horsepower output. A 1.4-liter, 4-cylinder turbocharged, 89-horpower diesel version is also be available. Dubbed as the smallest car that can hold four passengers, iQ’s front-to –bumper length spans barely 3 meters. Toyota will present it at the Paris Motor Show this coming October. Sales will follow afterwards.
Now, the company is rumored to be building a Toyota iQ hybrid. If this is true, then it will be fitted with a 500cc electric-powered engine patterned after the highly successful Prius. The hybrids will be perfect for people that commute within a 15-mile radius of city boundaries.
Though Toyota makes no comment on these rumors, there’s a good chance that they will unveil the Hybrid a year after the iQ launch.
Toyota Building iQ Hybrid? Picture Gallery
Toyota will unveil the production version of the 2009 iQ at the Paris Auto Show. Measuring less than 10 feet in length, the iQ is not just the world’s smallest 4-seater ever built, but it is also a serious green machine with CO2 emissions levels starting at a mere 99 g/km.
But this is only the beginning. Starting 2010, it will also gain the title of the world’s smallest hybrid. Inspired by the next generation Prius, the hybrid iQ will be powered by a 500cc engine and a small electric motor. That means drivers will have the option to plug in to an electricity supply to extend the car’s range.
Toyota announced that the iQ -one of the greatest Smart competitors- will go on sale in Japan in November and hits European showrooms in January. USA is also under consideration: "From the early stages of development, we didn’t recognize that oil prices would be like this," he says. "Also, the Smart is very successful in the U.S. market."
The iQ is packed with engineering innovations to save space and has better handling and performance, says Nakajima. It weighs less than 2,200 pounds and boasts the best fuel efficiency of any gasoline-powered car in Toyota’s lineup, excluding the Prius.
For the European market, Toyota will also offer a 1.4-liter diesel powerplant. The car also will come with 1.3- and 1.0-liter gasoline engines.
Toyota hasn’t announced the iQ’s price, but it is expected to have the same price as the Yaris: $9,975.
The company hopes to sell around 100,000 vehicles a year.
2009 Toyota iQ
Inside sources revealed to Autocar that the Toyota iQ could form the basis for another, larger car. The new model will compete with the upcoming Volkswagen Up!
When the iQ arrives early in 2009 it will be powered by a choice of two petrol and one diesel engine. All will be ultra-clean, meeting upcoming Euro 5 and Euro 6 pollution limits. A stop-start system will further improve economy.
The iQ project started back in 2003, for a market slot that Toyota described as “small yet premium”. One senior Toyota source said he expects the car to be priced “between the Fiat 500 and the Mini” and Toyota expects to sell as many as 500,000 examples of the iQ and its upcoming baby SUV in 2009.
Toyota will not offer a hybrid version for the iQ because there is no room for a battery pack (the iQ is just 2.99m long).
2oo9 Toyota IQ
Toyota unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show the production version of the IQ Concept unveiled last year at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The IQ will go on sale late 2008, with production expected to be around 100,000 units during its first year.
The iQ delivers dynamism and stability despite its small size. It challenges conventional thinking through a design that is forward-looking, intelligent and energetic, while retaining clarity of purpose and function.
iQ is 2,985mm long and 1,500mm high. Its compact ingenuity lies in its comparatively long, 2,000mm wheelbase.
iQ will be offered with a choice of two petrol engines and one diesel. These, together with the compact design, low weight and aerodynamic shape of iQ, will contribute to outstanding fuel economy and exceptionally low CO2 emissions, which are anticipated to start at around 100g/km.
Press release after the jump.
>> read 2009 Toyota IQ Picture Gallery
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Toyota will unveil at the Geneva motor Show the production version of the iQ Concept unveiled last at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Production will start in late 2008. iQ is a radical change in vehicle design as well as environmentally friendly transportation, and away from the belief that small cars are basic and less safe.
Next to it Toyota will also unveil a new extension of its sports utility vehicle line-up into the small car segment: Toyota Urban Cruiser. This new Toyota is an environmentally responsible small SUV aimed at the urban all-roader market. It provides an answer to consumer desires for SUVs but with low fuel consumption and low emissions.
Press release after the jump.
>> read 
Toyota’s future IQ will be powered by a Yamaha engine, according to Automotive News. It is rumored that Yamaha will design the engine and may even build it for Toyota.
>> read 
Toyota will unveil in 2009 an ultra-compact car based on the iQ concept unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The car will be a small fuel-efficient car that will satisfy Europe’s tight emission regulations. The car will be produced in Japan starting at about 100,000 vehicles a year.
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