Saturday, March 8, 2008

Competition to nano? Toyota IQ : Small Car


While not a threat to Tata Nano in terms of price, Toyota's new mini-car concept, the IQ, was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The IQ is only 2.98 m long which makes it about a foot longer than the Smart For Two. While the Smart is strictly a two seater, the Japanese mini is advertised as a 3+1 seater. That means there are two seats that can be inhabited by adults in the front.

The asymmetrical dashboard design allows the front passenger seat to be pulled forward, allowing another adult and potentially a child to sit in the back hence the + 1. No information is available about what kind of drivetrain the car might include other than it's location at the front of the car. The IQ may go on sale in Europe as early as 2009 and would likely have an engine in the 1.0L range.

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