When the production version of the FT-CH Concept Toyota rolled out at the Detroit show finally emerges, it will slot in below the Prius in both price and size, measuring about 22 inches shorter in length on a six-inch shorter wheelbase. The width is within a half-inch of today's Prius and the car is packaged to maximize passenger and cargo space.
Toyota, whose stated aim is to eventually build one million hybrid vehicles per year worldwide (a goal that battery supplier Panasonic is poised to support), also announced at the FT-CH unveiling that there will indeed be a Prius sub-brand of Hybrid Synergy Drive powered vehicles, including models both smaller and larger than the current Prius. It's a safe bet to assume that the production FT-CH will be badged as a Prius.
No details have been released as yet about platform, powertrain, battery, or performance, but it's likely that the car will be sufficiently smaller and lighter to accommodate an engine that's smaller than anything currently on offer in a U.S. Toyota. A smaller Nickel-Metal-Hydride battery pack will probably be used in order to keep the price down, but lithium-ion technology is not out of the question if the prices fall enough. Downsizing and light-weighting of all components, along with continued improvements in efficiency will probably lower prices to within spitting distance of rival Honda's Insight, though the more sophisticated hybrid system is likely to deliver superior fuel economy.
Toyota's European design center won the styling competition with this muscular hatchback shape that is aimed at engaging the "8-Bit" video-game set. Okay, if they say so. The airy interior suggests it will connect with any device an 8-Bit driver could possibly own, and as shown the seats are minimalist mesh units that look very light (it was locked, so we can't tell you what they feel like). Toyota officials suggest that unless the reaction to this styling model is negative, past history suggests we'll see a production version within 20 months, though the official green light has not been given as yet.
In other Toyota sustainability news, it was announced that a fully electric small car like the FT-EV2 will likely go on sale in 2012 with a lithium-ion battery, capable of traveling 100 miles. A fleet of 100 FCHV fuel-cell powered Highlanders is in use, achieving 431-mile range with 68-mpg (gasoline equivalent) fuel economy. Development is progressing toward a target on-sale date of 2015. And 150 plug-in Priuses are in the works with 13-mile full-EV range and a 65-mph top electric speed.
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