Will Toyota’s iQ be Smart enough?
TOKYO — Call it Toyota’s answer to Smart.
Toyota’s upcoming iQ — essentially a squat, two-door rolling bubble — bears a strong resemblance to the hip small car from Daimler AG.
But that’s where the similarities end, says chief engineer Hiroki Nakajima.
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. He declined to provide the iQ’s weight and mileage.
What’s more, it has two rear seats — two more than the Smart For Two — although wedging in four adults is a squeeze.
Toyota calls it a “three and a half” seater.
| Space makers To cut the iQ’s size and create more cabin space, Toyota uses – A forward-positioned differential that yields a longer, 78.7-inch wheelbase – A flat, underseat fuel tank that allows for a shorter rear overhang – A steering column design that allows the engine to be pushed forward, permitting more interior space – Smaller heating and air-conditioning units – High-tensile steel frames that allow thin passenger seats |
“We are trying to change the compact vehicle itself,” Nakajima says.
The iQ goes on sale in Japan in November and hits European showrooms in January. U.S. sales are a good possibility someday, Nakajima says.
“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, Nakajima’s first undertaking as a chief engineer, takes Toyota into the uncharted waters of very small cars. It is a key model in the company’s push for more fuel- and space-efficient vehicles.
But the goal is to pursue a premium feel, and not be lured into competing with the inexpensive Nano. Tata Motors, of India, plans to sell the basic Nano to dealers for about $2,500.
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The iQ’s key feature is two rows of seats in a car only 117.5 inches long, barely a foot longer than the Smart ForTwo.
Space savers include a storage tray below the rear seats and a flat-bottomed steering wheel that gives greater leg clearance.
The rear seats also fold down for more cargo space.
Toyota hasn’t announced the iQ’s price, but Nakajima says it will be in the neighborhood of the Vitz (the Yaris in America and Europe), which starts at 1.07 million yen ($9,975) in Japan.
The company forecasts global sales of 100,000 vehicles a year.
Toyota will cater to the European penchant for diesels by offering the iQ with a 1.4-liter diesel powerplant. The car also will come with 1.3- and 1.0-liter gasoline engines.
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