2009 Toyota iQ - The Shape Of Urban Transport

The new Toyota iQ, which goes into production at the end of 2008, establishes the automotive trend for efficiency in urban transport body shape, and the benchmark for outstanding fuel economy. The Toyota iQ can carry up to three adults and one child and measures a short 3 metres (2985 mm or 9 feet 9 inches) in length.

The iQ will be released into showrooms with two versions of high efficiency gasoline (petrol) engines and also a diesel variant engine. Although there has been no indication of this from Toyota, the iQ looks like the chassis platform that could also become Toyota's first electric car. If Toyota does offer an electric or plug-in hybrid version of the iQ in the future, the car will run on pennies.  

Where Toyota has really excelled is in delivering the iQ's functional requirements in an efficiently packaged body design that saves on weight and space. The front differential is a new design that is compact in width, allowing for the front wheels to be placed at the front corners of the body, providing increased space to the front passenger compartment.

Toyota has also reduced the overhang at the rear of the iQ by mounting an under-floor flat fuel tank, which also has the potential on an electric or hybrid version of the iQ to be the location for under-floor batteries. Toyota has also designed a very compact heater and air conditioning unit that allows for the dashboard unit to occupy less space within the passenger compartment, and they have created thin front seat backs to allow for more rear passenger seat room.

The iQ has been designed to meet the 5-star safety rating of the EURO NCAP for crashworthiness. Toyota expects worldwide to sell 100,000 iQ's annually, and they have stated that the Toyota iQ will have outstanding fuel economy and produce approximately 100 g/km of CO2 in its base engine configuration. Toyota has not yet announced the exact fuel efficiency or fuel economy numbers for the iQ, but once this is known we will report it.