Toyota’s new 2010 IQ minicar (May be sold in the U.S.)
08-22-07, 04:52 PM
#17
$5k is car for developing countries which will be size of Yaris sedan (so it can be family vehicle).
08-23-07, 05:38 AM
#19
No matter how many airbags one puts in these small cars I would never drive one. Too small. I've seen good cars like the Lexus GS rear ended with substantial interior cabin damage. No way an airbag will protect you from a major collisions from the rear and I doubt even from the front much. IMHO cars like this shouldn't be on the road. But I guess it is your life.
If we are all so worried about gas prices we shouldn't be looking at alternative fuels. Not just smaller cars that get better mileage.
If we are all so worried about gas prices we shouldn't be looking at alternative fuels. Not just smaller cars that get better mileage.
08-23-07, 07:44 AM
#23
No matter how many airbags one puts in these small cars I would never drive one. Too small. I've seen good cars like the Lexus GS rear ended with substantial interior cabin damage. No way an airbag will protect you from a major collisions from the rear and I doubt even from the front much. IMHO cars like this shouldn't be on the road. But I guess it is your life.
If we are all so worried about gas prices we shouldn't be looking at alternative fuels. Not just smaller cars that get better mileage.
If we are all so worried about gas prices we shouldn't be looking at alternative fuels. Not just smaller cars that get better mileage.
10-25-07, 04:10 AM
#25
Lexus Test Driver
Production-ready Toyota iQ minicar
Record oil prices and an overall decline in sales of large vehicles have led to a paradigm shift by carmakers towards development of new entry-level minicars. So far most of the action has been in Europe and Japan where fuel prices are among the highest in the world but now officials at industry giant Toyota are considering whether the U.S. is ready for the fuel-efficient, pint-sized minicars.
According to new reports, Toyota is evaluating whether it should develop smaller models for the U.S. market as it has done for Europe with its recent iQ minicar concept. Toyota’s executive VP of its U.S. sales unit, Jim Lentz, told reporters from Bloomberg that Toyota has “been studying for about a year and a half whether some of these vehicles could work in the U.S.” and that developers may have to “accelerate” the introduction of the smaller vehicles.
America’s smallest mainstream vehicle class, which includes subcompacts like the Toyota Yaris, has seen sales grow 20% this year alone and the trend is expected to continue.
Rivals GM, Chrysler and Volkswagen are all working on new minicar concepts for Europe and emerging markets like India and China but it seems many have neglected the world’s biggest car market.
Just hope it can match or surpass Smart Fortwo safety for the car and the passengers on the outside.
10-25-07, 07:28 AM
#26
It would be interesting to see something funky like that make it to production.
But in all honesty, car costs are controlled not just by cheaper materials alone. A huge chunk of costs come from labor, advertising, and engineering. It will still be expensive for its size, and I don't think it'll be profitable in the long run.
Some people may just want to pay $2-3k extra for a Yaris and still have enough room for 5 passengers AND luggage...
But in all honesty, car costs are controlled not just by cheaper materials alone. A huge chunk of costs come from labor, advertising, and engineering. It will still be expensive for its size, and I don't think it'll be profitable in the long run.
Some people may just want to pay $2-3k extra for a Yaris and still have enough room for 5 passengers AND luggage...
10-25-07, 07:33 AM
#27
Super Moderator
South of the border, such a vehicle would be quite welcome given the economics down here. This is one area that could really give a boost to Toyota Mexico since the Yaris is still above the 10K USD mark and a lot of lower income families could have something other than a Nissan, VW or Chevrolet, which aren't very good in quality, but do have at least one base model under 10K.
10-25-07, 01:09 PM
#29
Super Moderator
What they'll probably have to do, at least in my market, is get something out there like the Hyundai Atos (badged as a Dodge here), which runs about 8000 USD or so in the base model, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyundai_Atos
or perhaps the Pontiac Matiz (often branded as a Daewoo elsewhere), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matiz which runs about 7800 USD on the base model.
In my market, people tend to keep their vehicles a lot longer than in the U.S., which is one reason as people are looking at Japanese models more and more as a sense of better quality is gradually eeking into the market. However, even something like the Nissan Tsuru (a boxy old Sentra) is not perfect in quality and Nissan attempted to improve on this by introducing the Platina.
or perhaps the Pontiac Matiz (often branded as a Daewoo elsewhere), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matiz which runs about 7800 USD on the base model.
In my market, people tend to keep their vehicles a lot longer than in the U.S., which is one reason as people are looking at Japanese models more and more as a sense of better quality is gradually eeking into the market. However, even something like the Nissan Tsuru (a boxy old Sentra) is not perfect in quality and Nissan attempted to improve on this by introducing the Platina.
