If you've been distressed by not being able to buy a clown car at any local lot, Toyota has news for you: the company is working on a Yaris-sized seven-seater. That is odd enough to make us ask "What?" and "Why?" in several languages. Even better, though, is when Toyota engineer Hiroki Nakajima says "We can do it, and give limo-like legroom in the back." We aren't sure what Nakajima-san's idea of a limo is, but the current five-searter Yaris doesn't have limo-like room for the people in the front, much less the back and the cargo area...
The next Yaris is due in 2011, and recent rumors suggest the use of Toyota iQ's packaging to make it more roomy inside. Toyota has also said it planned to build an MPV on blueprints of the iQ. While a repackaged Yaris with iQ clever bits would be an impressively spacious subcompact, we simply can't see it making for a limo-like minivan.
While other automakers are fleeing Detroit's Cobo Hall, Audi has plans to make up for their absences. We already knew the V10-powered version of the R8 would be making its world debut at the North American International Auto Show next month and it looks like several more vehicles will be appearing as well. According the Detroit Free Press, a concept version of the upcoming A7 will make be on hand, along with a second US market diesel model. The A7 is expected to be yet another four-door vehicles with a coupe-like profile. As for the diesel, Audi hasn't said anything publicly, although the Freep expects it to be the A4 sedan. Other possibilities are the yet to be launched Q5 mid-size SUV and the compact A3, both of which were featured prominently on the recent Audi Mileage Marathon. At some point over the next year or two we expect all three to join the TDI ranks here in the US.
A few short months after announcing that it would be killing off the Q7 hybrid SUV, Audi has decided that its smaller brother, the Q5, doesn't really need the fuel-saving option either. The German automaker cites the safety of its nickel metal hydride battery packs, but we're not completely sold on that being the real concern, especially considering the hundreds of thousands of Toyota Prius hybrids (among others, of course) already roaming the world's busiest highways with nary a problem. If not safety, then why cancel the project? Pricing is likely the biggest factor holding Audi's hybrids back, along with Audi's large investment in turbo diesels and the growing use of lightweight materials in its line, especially the use of aluminum in its chassis structures. Adding the cost of hybrid technology to these already expensive programs may seem cost prohibitive.
In what seems like a foregone conclusion to us, intraweb rumors suggest that Nissan is strongly considering dumping its Quest minivan and Armada full-size SUV along with Infiniti's version of the behemoth 'ute, the QX56. The NV2500 light commercial vehicle will take the place of the Titan pickup at Nissan's plant in Canton, Mississippi, so, putting together the trail of crumbs, it's easy to speculate that Nissan is merely getting ready to phase-out the Titan truck and its platform-mates in preparation for a new Ram-based pickup from Dodge. Although the Quest doesn't share the same underpinnings, it has consistently been an under-performing nameplate when sales figures are tallied up, so its loss from the lineup won't be terribly missed.
Considering the sorry state of affairs that full-size sport utility vehicles see themselves in, we wouldn't bet on any Ram-based replacement for the Armada and QX56 either. If a minivan replacement ever rears its head in the U.S. from Nissan, it would likely have much more in common with the NV200 concept from the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show than the current Quest, minus the sweet sliding guts, naturally.
If the new Toyota iQ is going to compete against the smart fortwo, an open-top version is going to be a necessity. We've already heard rumblings of a possible roadster based on the iQ's underpinnings, so a convertible option certainly seems possible. If renderings from Japan's Best Car are to be believed (we're not convinced), the Japanese automaker could mimic the fortwo's cabriolet style by removing the front and rear roof sections, fitting an integrated roll bar and adding a set of soft-tops.
The main advantage for the iQ has over the fortwo is the city car's extra passenger seats. Unlike the smart, Toyota's microcar manages to cram four belts into its tiny frame and a drop-top variant would make the iQ the world's smallest-ever four-seat convertible. While a credible contender to the fortwo cabrio is surely in the cards, we're still waiting to see the iQ rebadged a Scion and brought to the U.S. to truly give smart a run for its money.
We saw Toyota's iQ city car debut in Geneva last year, and now little Ikey has its own TV spot. Granted, there's precious little of the actual car shown until the last few seconds of the commercial, but this is advertising, after all. The spot is high-concept, with no boilerplate screaming about powertrains or showing the car oversteering across the screen, but you can tell that the car looks like a Scion xD that's been treated to a cut-n-shut for a length under three meters. Pronounce it "ick" if you like, but when your competition is the Smart, it's hard not to look, uh, smarter.
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Toyota worked up an entirely new platform for its new iQ minicar, which features a very unique 3+1 seating arrangement in an effort to outsmart its competitors. Such a development takes a good deal of resources and Toyota seems to be considering ways to defray that cost through additional models based on the same underpinnings. The latest vehicle architecture to add to the always active rumormill would be a small two-seat roadster. If the German buff book Auto Motor und Sport is correct, expect the new sub-Miata-fighter to debut in concept form at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show and be called the Spider. The roadster would likely get the same powerplants as the normal iQ, including both gasoline and diesel four-cylinder variants. A decision on a production model, though, is likely still a good ways off. Other iQ models said to be waiting in the wings are an upcoming Yaris successor, a hybrid and a mini-minivan. Though we know the iQ has a good chance of being sold in the United States wearing a Scion badge, we have no idea yet how many of these other models could follow.
IF you're in Europe and hoping to get your name on a list for a Toyota iQ, now's the time. Toyota has opened up the order banks for the cleverly packaged microcar prior to its January availability date, while also giving up the goods on available specs, options, and pricing. The iQ comes in only two trim levels, iQ and iQ2, and pricing starts at £9,495 for the manual, and £10,495 for the multidrive CVT transmission. All iQ models come with 15-inch alloys, heated and electrically adjustable door mirrors, air conditioning and six speaker audio system with auxiliary socket. Checking the box for the iQ2 adds another £1,000, but for the money you receive high-gloss wheels, fog lamps, auto headlights and rain sensing wipers, smart entry and start system and climate control. The iQ is pretty damn small, but Toyota is stuffing the tiny coupe with plenty of standard safety features, including ABS, Vehicle Stability Control, Traction Control and nine airbags, including the world's first rear window airbag. Toyota also offers five different option packages including leather seats, navigation, and iSport, iUrban and iStyle packages. The iQ may be small, but after looking at the specs, it looks like Toyota went out of its way to give you just about any option you can dream up for a bargain basement price. You just can't get one if you live in the US, at least not yet.
Rumors have been swirling over the past few months that Toyota was considering bringing its iQ mini-car to the States, and according to MotorTrend that's exactly what's going to happen at the LA Auto Show this November, where Toyota will unveil a U.S.-spec iQ wearing Scion badges. The iQ – originally destined for sale in Japan and Europe – features a 3+1 seating arrangement and motivated by either a gasoline-powered 1.0-liter three-pot or a 1.4-liter diesel. However, MT speculates that the Yaris' 1.5-liter four, mated to a manual gearbox or CVT will be fitted for duty in the U.S. Ideally, the Scion iQ would have to be priced at or below its direct competitor, the Smart ForTwo, so expect a sticker of under $15,000 if and when it goes on sale. The rationale behind offering the iQ as a Scion would finally give some credence to the brand's targeted urban demographic, which has been faltering in recent years. And with more usable passenger and cargo space than a ForTwo, the Scion iQ could be a hit for people downsizing their rides without sacrificing some of the practicality found in a more traditional runabout.
One day down, oh so many to go! Actually, only six more days for me as we prepare to leave Capitol Hill this morning on our way to hook up with Autoblog team captain and coach Mr. Neff in his hometown. Over the first day my co-driver Jason Allen from Kelley Blue Book and myself managed to cover the 250 miles from Central Park to Capitol Hill with a fuel consumption of just 28.8 mpg! Not too shabby for for a 5,400-lb SUV. Along the way we spent nearly 40 minutes covering the few miles from the Tavern on the Green to the George Washington Bridge along with a hefty backup just north of DC. For anyone that's used to sitting next to Cummins-powered Ram or Power Stroke Super Duty at light, the level of quiet and refinement in these modern diesels is just startling. This diesel Q7 actually seems quieter than the gasoline powered version. Elsewhere in the fleet there were even more impressive mileage numbers. The Audi A3 piloted by youngsters Denise McCluggage and Kate McLeod got 46.7 miles from every gallon of diesel and Todd Kaho averaged 40.1 mpg in an A4 sedan with the same 3.0 TDI that's in this Q7. Stay tuned for more updates as we head westward.
