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2007 Frankfurt Auto Show: Toyota iQ
FRANKFURT, Germany — Toyota calls its new iQ "the intelligent solution to urban transport." We call it just plain cute.
Unveiled today at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show, the ultra-compact iQ, which Toyota bills as the world's smallest four-passenger concept car, squares off directly with Volkswagen's up!. And, at least in design appeal, the iQ comes away the clear winner.
Measuring less than 118 inches long, the iQ is about half the size of a Lincoln Town Car and some 30 inches shorter than the minuscule Toyota Yaris subcompact. It was styled at Toyota's ED2 design center in Southern France. Exterior highlights include a panoramic glass sunroof and 17-inch wheels and tires.
To accommodate up to four adults, the iQ features a three-plus-one seating system, with a reconfigurable fourth seat that can hold a passenger or luggage.
Toyota designers had some fun with the interior, which includes a center console and instrument pod shaped like a manta ray, a steering wheel covered in mock snakeskin, and purple accents throughout the cabin. There is a see-through head-up display ahead of the driver, and audio and navigation controls are mounted on the steering wheel.
What this means to you: Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder, but this one's "cute" quotient seems much higher than that of the Volkswagen up!
Unveiled today at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show, the ultra-compact iQ, which Toyota bills as the world's smallest four-passenger concept car, squares off directly with Volkswagen's up!. And, at least in design appeal, the iQ comes away the clear winner.
Measuring less than 118 inches long, the iQ is about half the size of a Lincoln Town Car and some 30 inches shorter than the minuscule Toyota Yaris subcompact. It was styled at Toyota's ED2 design center in Southern France. Exterior highlights include a panoramic glass sunroof and 17-inch wheels and tires.
To accommodate up to four adults, the iQ features a three-plus-one seating system, with a reconfigurable fourth seat that can hold a passenger or luggage.
Toyota designers had some fun with the interior, which includes a center console and instrument pod shaped like a manta ray, a steering wheel covered in mock snakeskin, and purple accents throughout the cabin. There is a see-through head-up display ahead of the driver, and audio and navigation controls are mounted on the steering wheel.
What this means to you: Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder, but this one's "cute" quotient seems much higher than that of the Volkswagen up!
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