As expected, Toyota's youthful Scion division will indeed get a version of the diminutive iQ for the North American market, possibly by either the end of 2010 as an '11 model or in early 2011 as a '12 model. According to Motor Trend, the car will cost about the same as the Yaris and get the usual modifications for the American market, such as slightly extended bumpers and recalibrated airbags to meet U.S. safety regulations.

Fortunately, the Big-Wheels-esque body kit and rims that the Japanese automaker fitted to the conceptual Scion iQ that was shown off at the New York Auto Show earlier this year won't come to the States as standard equipment. We're not entirely sure what powerplants Toyota plans to use in the American iQ, but in other markets it's available with three engines displacing between 1.0 and 1.4 liters. No hybrid iQ is currently planned due to cost and packaging considerations.

Interestingly, MT also reports that the Toyota FT-EV electric car concept from this year's Detroit Auto Show, which was based on the iQ minicar, will hit the market by 2012. At this time, the Japanese automaker may still be deciding between tried-and-true nickel metal hydride batteries or more powerful but unproven lithium ion units. Regardless, Toyota's aiming for a 50-mile range and an eight-hour recharge from a standard wall outlet.


[Source: Motor Trend]

Even supercar and luxury GT makers are finally starting to think green. Bentley is trying out E85 and possibly working on a hybrid. Same goes for Ferrari. Lamborghini is even adopting solar power, at least for its factory. The latest premium brand to step to the plate is Aston Martin. Sure, the fine folk from Gaydon have already used E85 in some of their racecars, and Prince Charles is even driving a wine-powered Aston, but we just got news that the firm is taking a big step down in order to lower their carbon footprint.

Aston Martin has announced the world's first super luxury supermini. Having blown their development budget on the V12 Vantage RS, Rapide and One-77 hypercar, they turned to an unlikely partner for some help: Toyota. Aston Martin has taken the Toyota iQ 3+1 commuter and given it a tailored suit from Savile Row. The result is the new Aston Martin Cygnet you see above. In case you're wondering, "cygnet" is a baby swan.

Although technically just a concept, word has it that the vehicle will be put into limited production and sold exclusively to existing Aston Martin owners, at least initially. There's a full press release after the jump, but the Cygnet should sell for around £20,000 when it goes on sale late next year. The car will retain the iQ's unique 3+1 seating but will be tailored to the individual customer's needs when it is assembled in Gaydon. We only have the one photo for now, but from what we can see it doesn't look half bad with that distinctive Aston Martin grille, hood cutouts, side vents, and of course, the winged badge. Follow the jump for the presser.

[Source: Toyota via Autocar]

The original iQ is such a museum piece. The new iQ³, which Toyota announced at the Geneva Motor Show in March, is now on sale in the UK. The iQ cubed adds a 98 bhp 1.33-liter engine with Toyota Optimal Drive to the small car line up and the start-stop system helps the iQ³ get CO₂ emissions down to 113g/km. On the UK's combined cycle, the most efficient iQ³, the manual with a six-speed gearbox, gets 49 mpg (U.S.). Even with a Multidrive CVT transmission, the iQ³ can achieve 46 mpg (U.S.) and CO₂ emissions of just 120 g/km. Both models qualify for the UK's Band B road tax, which is just £35 a year. The manual starts at £11,495 while the Multidrive begins at £12,495. If you have more money to spend, four trims are offered that add things like chrome (yay! chrome!) and Bluetooth connectivity. Find the details after the jump.


[Source: Toyota]

In mid-March, Scion confirmed that a new concept car would be headed our way during the New York Auto Show. This "micro-subcompact" sounded like a Scion-badged iQ to us, and now we think we have the first spy shots of the car being unloaded in New York. Of course, this being April Fool's and all, we're not sure how much credence to give this picture. It looks like there's been some digital manipulation going on, but that could be just to bring out the highlights a bit. From the image, this looks like a very slightly tweaked version of the Toyota iQ we've seen so much of. Here's a front-on shot of that car to compare to the spy shot. The front bumper is a bit different, with a row of LED lights replacing the round lights from the Toyota. The grinning vent is also a bit wider. For more details, we won't have to wait much more than a week. The New York show kicks off April 8th.


[Source: Autoweek via Autoblog]

Scion has decided to end speculation about whether a new concept vehicle will be unveiled at the New York Auto Show by issuing a press release confirming our suspicions. In the process, though, the automaker has stirred the pot back up regarding what type of vehicle will be on display. According to the super short blurb (pasted after the break), the new concept will be a "micro-subcompact" and will represent "a new segment for the brand aimed toward the growing urbanization trend."

Sounds like a U.S. version of the diminutive Toyota iQ to us. The new model may wear the tD moniker that's been seen floating around the U.S. Patent and Trademark offices and would not displace the aging tC in the automaker's line. Come back around noon EDT on April 8th to find out for sure.


[Source: Scion]

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV, the Honda FCX Clarity and the Toyota iQ were named the top three contenders for the World Green Car of the Year award that will be announced during the New York Auto Show next month. While there were some European and American vehicles in the original list of 22 cars, only Japanese vehicles - one electric drive, one hydrogen powered and one highly-efficient gas-powered vehicle - will fight it out for top honors. Which of the three do you want to see win?






Editor's note: AutoblogGreen's Sam Abuelsamid is one of three "green experts" that helped pare down the original list of 22 to these finalists.

[Source: Mitsubishi]

The Toyota iQ has been doing the show (and museum) circuit for over a year now, but we've only seen the car in white. I mean, just look what happens in Google Image Search when you type in "Toyota iQ." Therefore, as excited as one might be about the new 1.33l Dual VVT-i engine that Toyota has announced for the new iQ3 (iQ cubed) version in Geneva, I'm just glad to see the car in another color.

The 1.33 iQ also gets Toyota's Optimal Drive (aka stop-start) technology, which can reduce fuel consumption up to three percent, if you drive smart. Right now, Toyota is talking about mpg numbers of 49 mpg (U.S.) on the European combined cycle and CO₂ emissions of 113 grams per kilometer for the manual-drive iQ. The first production iQs went on sale in Japan last November. The 1.33-liter iQs will be available in the UK starting in late July. Oh, and you can get it in Pearl White, Astral Black (above) or Deep Amethyst.


[Source: Toyota]

If the automaker's presence at the last couple of Auto Shows (see Detroit, Chicago) wasn't enough to clue us in, Toyota Division General Manager Bob Carter has spelled out the Japanese giant's future product portfolio to Automotive News, saying, "Personally, I would love to have a sporty car, but it is pretty clear what the market is looking for right now." So, just what is it that the market is looking for? Carter answers, "high-quality, fuel-efficient, low-impact-environment products."

Expect to see plenty of hybrids in the coming years from Toyota, kicked off later this year with the introduction of the 2010 Prius hybrid. A bit further down the line, Toyota says it will dive into fully electric vehicles. Looking beyond the electrification of Toyota's line for a moment, we remember that the diminutive iQ is also on the horizon. We've also heard rumblings of an investment into cellulosic ethanol, though nothing definitive on that front has yet been announced, and the automaker has also continued to pledge its support for hydrogen.


[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]

With an overall score of 79 percent, the Toyota iQ got the 5 stars that mark it as one of the safest vehicles European roads. The car could've had a better score, but pedestrian protection was rated a poor 54 percent. However, the iQ scored top marks in driver's seat protection, partly thanks to its 9 (!) standard airbags distributed around the car. The iQ also includes ABS, Electronic Brake Distribution, Vehicle Stability Control and Traction Control. You can't compare the iQ's rest results against its main competitor, the Smart Fortwo, because Euro NCAP now uses a different ratings calculation, but the fortwo got 4 stars back in 2007.

[Source: Euro NCAP]

Toyota created its new iQ with the intention that it be smarter than a Smart ForTwo. Unlike the Daimler-made micro car, the iQ has room for more than two passengers. The crew at the British car show that doesn't feature Jeremy Clarkson sampled the iQ and found it quite impressive. With its 1.0L three cylinder engine, the iQ is rated at 54 mpg (U.S.) and 99 g/km of CO₂. Toyota touts the iQ as a 3+1 seater thanks to its clever packaging. On the passenger side, Toyota claims a 5'10" passenger can sit in the back behind another similarly tall occupant if the seat is moved forward. The tester found this to be accurate, just. Not bad for a car barely over nine feet long. Of course, only a small child or amputee could sit behind the driver, but sacrifices must be made. See also: acceleration, which is leisurely at 14 seconds to 60 mph. Of course, that stomps the 19 second run we had for a diesel Smart so it's not all bad. Hopefully, Toyota will see fit to letting Americans try out the iQ, perhaps as a Scion. Check out the video after the jump.

[Source: YouTube]