Urban Cruiser Concept - Toyota's Next Big Hit?Like Paris, Frankfurt, Detroit or Tokyo, the Geneva Motor Show is an auto extravaganza that attracts attention from all corners of the globe. This year's event looks promising with a number of critically important introductions from the world's leading manufacturers. Toyota will be contributing three global debuts at this year's show, including two production vehicles and a third concept car.
Starting with the concept, The Urban Cruiser is a new subcompact
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| Urban Cruiser. It's the smallest of the 'Cruiser' family. (Photo: Toyota Canada) |
SUV designed by its French ED2 Design studios, the same group that penned the new Yaris and many other European Toyotas. The concept, which in essence is a design study, doesn't advance any new technologies in particular, but nevertheless explores new areas of styling which could possibly be applied to Toyota SUVs. The Urban Cruiser has some of the rough 'n tough styling attributes which are often featured on classic off-road sport 'utes, including metal-finished skidplates and trim, and blends them together with tall fenders and large wheels. With growing gas prices, and an increase in demand for compact, urban runabouts, vehicles like the Urban Cruiser are sure to arrive on our streets in no time at all.
More
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| More power to the people: upcoming Yaris T-Sport could have up to 140 hp. (Photo: Toyota Canada) |
excitingly, Toyota will also be using the Geneva Motor Show to launch its Yaris T-Sport, the performance version of the Yaris subcompact. Unlike the previous T-Sport, which was powered by the 1.5-litre four-cylinder that was previously standard equipment in the North American Echo, a car that sold as our Echo Hatchback 'RS' model, the new T-Sport is the most powerful Yaris created to date. The upcoming T-Sport will be powered by a 1.8-litre inline-four with a performance-tuned variable valve timing system. Though outputs have yet to be announced, expect them to be around 140-horsepower, a good boost over the car's current 106-hp mill. To go along with the bigger engine, the Yaris T-Sport gains more distinctive front and rear bumpers, a lowered suspension and larger alloy wheels. It is possible something similar will make it to North America, especially now that Nissan has announced its 125-hp Versa subcompact.
Another
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| Mild updates to Prius. Unfortunately, North Americans won't get the IPA self-parking system.(Photo: Toyota Canada) |
production vehicle making its debut in Europe for 2006 is the updated Prius. Since the introduction of the second-generation Prius, this halo vehicle for Toyota's revolutionary Hybrid Synergy Drive system has won countless awards, including 2004 North American Car of the Year. Two years on, it gains mild cosmetic changes to keep it looking fresh, but also gains a clever new self-parking technology.
Intelligent Park Assist, or IPA for short, uses video cameras to capture a parking spot, displaying it on the active LCD display. When the driver finds a parking spot and activates the system, the car takes control of the steering; the driver merely controls the car's speed. This technology, previously an exclusive to Japan, will be available on the Prius in Europe, as well as Lexus' new flagship, the LS 460, globally.
Toyota will also be showing two other concept cars which were
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| Four-wheel steering Fine-X Concept, rebadged as Fine-T for Geneva Show. (Photo: Toyota Canada) |
an integral part of its "Ecology & Emotion" display at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show, vehicles that project hints at future transportation solutions. The Fine-T Concept, formerly known as the Fine-X at its Tokyo Debut, offers midsize-like interior space with subcompact dimensions, four-wheel steering and fuel-cell hybrid power, while the curious-looking i-Swing Concept, a zero-emissions 'personal transportation' device, advances on human-robot interfaces using new IT-robotic technologies.
