The Toyota Motor Company had effectively stolen the show through it’s Lexus arm and the unveiling of the LF-A, but under the Toyota brand, there were three concept cars and one new luxury Hybrid vehicle that defined the future of the Toyota Motor Company.
FT-86
Toyota has effectively outlined its ambition to return to the sports car market with the unveiling of the FT-86 Concept Car – spiritual successor to the legendary Toyota Corolla AE-86 of the 80’s. The rear wheel drive sports car is engineered to provide driving joy and excitement much like the original model entertained generations.
It’s powered by a naturally aspirated horizontally-opposed 2.0-liter boxer engine whose configuration allows the engine to be planted lower in the car, directly improving handling and road-hugging stability. Further contributing to the performance of the car is a lighweight body construction.
Prius Plug-In Hybrid Concept
Essentially the same as the ones that are already running around saving the planet, the only difference between the regular Prius and the Plug-In Hybrid Concept is that the latter employs the first lithium-ion batteries to be used to power a Toyota-brand vehicle. Based on the third-generation Prius, the Plug-In Hybrid Concept is able to recharge its batteries from an external power source such as a household outlet.
The Plug-In Hybrid Concept is able to operate without batteries as well as it’s not completely dependent on battery-charging infrastructure. And through the greater and more efficient use of electricity, the car has better overall fuel efficiency than conventional petrol-electric hybrid vehicles. This effectively lowers consumption of fossil fuels, reduces CO2 emissions and ultimately lowers atmospheric pollution.
The Plug-In Hybrid Concept aims to have fuel-efficiency figures of 55km/l or more, CO2 emissions of 42g/km or less and EV cruising range of 200km or more on a fully recharged battery. The approximate battery-charging times are 180 minutes at 100V and 100 minutes at 200V.
FT-EV II
Designed for the future, the FT-EV II is a compact Electric Vehicle designed for short distances and is based on the idea of a future mobile society in which EVs are common and means of transport are divided according to purpose of travel, energy to be used and the status of the energy supply infrastructure.
The FT-EV II also carries other features that make it extremely convenient in urban settings. Its ultra-efficient package allows the car to be more compact than the ultra-compact “iQ” but with seating for four. The car is operated using a joystick which works exactly like the ones found on a game console with forward motion for acceleration, backward for braking, and steering.
Sliding doors on both sides makes the car efficiently convenient in narrow areas and with a top speed of over 100km/h and a full battery range of over 90km (ample for everyday city use) the FT-EV II is the urban electric vehicle of tomorrow.
Toyota Sai Hybrid
The Toyota Sai Hybrid was officially launched at the TMS 2009. Positioned as a compact luxury sedan, the Sai is scheduled to go on sale in Japan on December 7th 2009. The Toyota Sai is also a Hybrid-only model, meaning there wont be any in the model line up that’s powered by a polluting petrol engine.
The Sai was designed with extensive consideration given to the environment, and with that a number of different factors unify to offer a handsome environmentally friendly car. Firstly, the Sai features a gasoline-electric hybrid system with a 2.4-liter Atkinson cycle combustion engine. Together this combination result in respectable fuel consumption figures of 19.8km/l – 23.0km/l and a total power output of 190hp with the engine and electric motor combined.
Everything in the Sai works to reduce energy consumption while providing adequate power. The transaxle is exceptionally small and light and so through the use of a compact high-speed motor that achieves increased output and a reduction gear that increases torque, the driver has more power to his disposal than regular hybrid models.
To help lower fuel consumption, the exhaust gasses are reused to help heat the engine on start-up, especially when outside temperatures are low. The Sai utilises LED headlights that help conserve electric power and there’s the Eco-Drive Mode which prioritizes fuel efficiency by moderating driving force relative to accelerator operation, and it puts the air conditioner into a low energy consumption mode.
The interior of the car utileses plant-based Ecological Plastic and this is used on approximately 60% of the interior surface area – the greatest use of such plastic by TMC in any vehicle to date.
Together with all the eco-friendly gadgets that the Sai features, there is the usual dings and bells of safety equipment as well. The Sai comes packed with safety gizmo’s like a Pre-Crash Safety System, seven SRS airbags, Steering-assisted Vehicle Stability Control, a Brake-signal system that flashes the brake lights during emergency braking, Lane-keeping Assist helps the driver to stick to his lane, a radar cruise control that maintains distance from the vehicle in-front, and wide-view front monitor system. That’s just to name a few.
