Toyota iQ city car gets a makeover

The Toyota iQ city car has had a makeover for its appearance at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

The diminutive four-seater, which is less than 3m long and has been on sale in Britain since the beginning of this year, first appeared at the Frankfurt show two years ago as a pre-production concept car.

The new iQ Collection concept features a fully-glazed roof, pearlescent white colour inside and out. Also on show at Frankfurt was a version of the iQ with 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, illuminated door handles and a 10-inch LCD screen that can play DVDs.

According to Toyota, the concept cars prove that ‘sub-100g/km motoring doesn’t have to be dull’.

Micro-sized petrol cars

The Naro is a petrol-powered prototype car that is even smaller than the iQ and illustrates a possible future direction for conventionally-powered vehicles.

It is perhaps best described as a car/motorcycle hybrid because its driver and passenger sit one behind the other and the vehicle leans through corners.

In common with only the smallest and most fuel-efficient commuter motorcycles, the 400cc Naro is expected to deliver 100 miles per gallon – better even that the diesel-powered Smart ForTwo CDI, which manages an impressive 85.6 mpg.

The Naro design uses less than half the fuel of a conventional car and occupies a third of the road space.

A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “It is vital that cars become more efficient, but the market moves slowly and without robust environmental controls, vehicles like the Naro are still some way off – one day the commuters who would use a scooter but for concerns about safety and weather protection will be potential customers for vehicles like this.”

Hybrid technology vs petrol only

Hybrid technology currently offers a more practical alternative to electric-only vehicles. Such vehicles look set to become more common a sight on the roads after Chinese company, BYD recently launched the world’s first massed-produced, plug-in hybrid car.