The i-popping Q from Toyota

Flush with success from its Prius sales,Toyota feel confident that it can very quickly flex its green credentials by turning the tiny,eco-friendly, iQ concept,unveiled just six months ago at the Frankfurt Motor Show, into a production reality ,and put it on sale before the end of this year.

Dubbed the "world's smallest four-seater passenger car", the intelligent iQ can seat three adults and a child . Wider than a Smart,it is less than 3 metres in length.

This car will find its ideal home as an urban runabout. It has a 500cc plug-in powerplant. CO2 emissions will be at 99 g/km scoring a Euro NCAP 5 rating.

Toyota expect to be making 100,000 units of the iQ in its first full year of production.

Of the successful hybrid,the Prius ,a Toyota spokesperson says,"By 2009 we are expecting demand in Europe to more than double to 70,000 units."In 2007, European sales of the Prius were at 32,000 units, up 40% on 2006.

And there's more...Toyota is also working on another plug-in hybrid concept, the 1/X. This is said to be an extremely light car combining plug-in hybrid and flex-fuel technologies.Although a third the weight of the Prius, the 1/X will have the same interior space, and its efficiency will deliver 62 miles for a little over 2 litres of fuel.

Toyota seem to be steaming ahead with their plans to stay in the forefront of the drive to produce more ,and more efficient, cars.



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