2008-10-16
Toyota Launches New Tiny Car. By John Murphy, WSJournal, October 16, 2008. "Looking to prove that small cars can still offer style, safety and spaciousness, Toyota Motor Corp. on Wednesday launched the compact iQ, its tiniest, most fuel-efficient nonhybrid vehicle. Measuring less than three meters long and delivering 54 miles per gallon, the four-seat, bubble-like iQ is Toyota's answer to Germany-based Daimler AG's super-mini Smart car, which has been a hit in Europe and the U.S. as drivers shift to smaller vehicles amid higher fuel prices. In developing the iQ, Toyota says it had to rethink the way it designs small cars to make them roomier. To squeeze in four seats, it flattened the fuel tank and placed it below the floor, made the seats thinner, reduced the size of the air-conditioning system and adjusted the shape of the dashboard to allow more leg room for the front-seat passenger. Engineers also eliminated the jack and spare tire to free up extra room for storage... The iQ will go on sale in Japan on Nov. 20 with a starting price of 1.4 million yen ($13,720). Sales will begin in Europe in 2009. Toyota expects to sell 2,500 a month in Japan and 6,000 a month in Europe. It is still considering whether to introduce the car to the U.S. market, though it would need to make design changes to meet America's more stringent safety standards."
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