Toyota iQ concept

By Tim Pollard

Motor Shows

11 September 2007 02:53

Toyota iQ: the lowdown

The Japanese scored one of the very few surprises of the Frankfurt show this year, with the titchy iQ concept car that previews Toyota’s new sub-Aygo city car. It’s one of our favourite cars at the show, bristling with intelligent new thinking and design flourishes to make small cars interesting again. And the best news is that Toyota has committed to building a production version, probably due in European showrooms by 2009.

The diminutive white car at Frankfurt is a 3+1 seater that’s just 2980mm long – a touch longer than a Smart Fortwo but significantly shorter than a Mini. Check out our comparison with the Yaris (above). It is however, as tall and wide as an Aygo, creating a squat, bold shape. There are three full-time seats, with an occasional jump seat for a small fourth passenger or some luggage. And Toyota claims that the iQ will be as safe as full-sized superminis, despite those small dimensions.

By Tim Pollard