Could a hybrid MPV - based on the iQ or the Prius - be coming from Toyota?
Toyota is definitely working on a small, 7-seat multi-purpose vehicle. This much we know. What we're still unsure about is what underpinnings the diminutive MPV would use. According to Auto Express, there are factions within Toyota that suggest the iQ would make the perfect starting point for just such a people carrier. Although it seems a bit odd that such a small platform would be used to move so many people, perhaps it isn't as crazy as it first sounds. Using the innovative structure of the iQ would reportedly allow for seven real-live, adult-sized humans to ride in comfort inside a vehicle the size of a Yaris. That'd be something to see.
Another option for the new MPV would be to extend the Prius platform into a taller wagon shape. Somewhat surprisingly, somebody from Toyota has reportedly suggested that a hybrid MPV could be on the market by 2012, powered by a lithium ion battery. As much as we'd love to see it, put this one squarely in the rumormill basket for now.
Gallery: 2009 Toyota iQ
[Source: Auto Express]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
BoneHeadOtto 4:07PM (12/20/2008)
I have long thought that the prime market for the hybrid is the minivan. It constantly in stop and go and people who purchase them do so for practicality. Give us a toyota sienna hybrid already!
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MikeT 6:35PM (12/20/2008)
RE: Toyota iQ
Once again we see a vehicle that would sell like hotcakes in the US be we are denied the opportunity. Repeat, repeat, repeat...
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jim 9:47AM (12/21/2008)
+1 on Bonehead's contention that MPVs are a natural market for hybrids. Even in the suburbs, kid hauling is lots of short trips at moderate speeds with plenty of stop and go driving.
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