12 Jan 09 10:44
It's an electric iQ; the FT-EV is an obvious development of Toyota's tiny city car.
Though only a concept car as yet, Toyota intends to broaden its range of alternative-fuel vehicles and as such this four-seater - with a 50-mile range between recharges - is a dead cert for production.
'We cannot lose sight of our future,' said Toyota Motor Sales USA spokesman Irv Miller. 'Nowhere is this more important than with our industry's duty and commitment to provide true sustainable mobility with vehicles that significantly reduce fuel consumption, our carbon footprint and overall greenhouse gases.'
'Last summer's four-dollar-a-gallon gasoline was no anomaly', he added. 'It was a brief glimpse of our future. We must address the inevitability of peak oil by developing vehicles powered by alternatives to liquid-oil fuel, as well as new concepts, like the iQ, that are lighter in weight and smaller in size. This kind of vehicle, electrified or not, is where our industry must focus its creativity.'
In the shorter term, Toyota is to focus on petrol-electric hybrids, including the new third-generation Prius and its Lexus HS250h, also debuting in Detroit this week.
The company plans to sell a million hybrids a year within the next few years, and will launch as many as 10 new hybrid models by the early 2010.
It is also to bring forward its programme for plug-in extended-range hybrids, with 500 Prius PHVs to be available for lease and real-life testing at the end of the year.
Check out the rest of our Detroit Motor Show coverage.
