06 Mar 08
The Urban Cruiser is on display for the first time in Europe. Like the iQ, it was developed at Toyota's ED2 design centre in the south of France.
It's a chunky-looking five-door SUV considerably smaller than the RAV4, and it is thought to be based on the Toyota ist/Scion xD underpinnings. Toyota promises sufficient room for five plus generous luggage space: it is 3930mm long, 1725mm wide and 1540mm tall.
It will come with a choice of fuel-efficient, low-emissions engines - expected to emit less than 140g/km of carbon dioxide - and four-wheel-drive, though it is biased more towards urban use (hence its name) than serious off-roading.
The Urban Cruiser may well be sold in the US under the Scion brand-name - it'll play an important role in improving Toyota's average fuel economy and emissions ratings, in line with upcoming US legislation - and production has already been confirmed for Europe. UK sales will start in the first half of 2009.
Check out the rest of our Geneva Motor Show coverage.
