Toyota Plans to Sell a €100,000 Fuel Cell Car in Europe by 2015

[2007 Toyota Hybrid X Concept pictured above]

There’s no doubt that Toyota, with its Prius, is the carmaker that made hybrid cars an everyday word in our vocabulary. Granted, other companies like Honda with its first, odd-looking Insight, offered their own models, but it was the best-selling Prius that made hybrid cars popular to the masses. As emission regulations become tougher though, even Toyota is looking for ways to offer even “greener” cars. All-electric vehicles like the Nissan Leaf are one option. But Toyota wants to go the extra mile and launch a new fuel cell model in Europe by 2015.
Toyota is not the first carmaker to manufacture a hydrogen-powered car as most major car companies have created fuel cell prototypes. For example, Honda launched the FCX Clarity in 2008, but it is only available for lease for a limited number of customers.
Toyota’s zero-emissions hydrogen car will actually be sold in the European market in four years’ time – albeit again, at limited numbers, since it will have a very high price tag due to its extremely advanced, and thus costly, technology.
"We could expect a fuel cell vehicle to retail at about €100,000 [US$138,000] in Europe," Toyota Europe Vice President for Product Planning & Marketing, Alain Uyttenhoven, told Automotive News.
The Toyota exec, however, does not diminish the importance of hybrid models, on which Toyota has recently decided to base its recovery: “We see pure battery-powered vehicles to be just a solution for small trips in the city, while a plug-in gasoline-electric hybrid is the best solution for both weekday urban commuting and weekend trips,” Uyttenhoven added.
Now, 100,000 euros for a futuristic fuel cell car is quite a lot, and Toyota is entering unchartered waters competing with brands that have much more cache, even if their offerings pollute more.
Will the fuel cell Toyota prove to be the Prius of deep-pocketed Europeans? Only time will tell.

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Geneva Preshow: Toyota iQ Pure-Electric Prototype

An all-electric prototype of the Toyota iQ will make its European debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March. The iQ EV is equipped with an electric motor fed through a newly developed, flat and compact lithium-ion battery that is mounted under the car's floor. According to Toyota, the battery pack doesn't reduce the regular iQ's load area or passenger space. The all-electric version of Toyota's mini car is said to have a potential driving range of up to 65 miles or about 105 kilometers.
The EV prototype is currently being tested on European roads, with a potential market launch through a leasing programme in 2012. The Japanese company will also bring the car in the USA (as a Scion) and is also investigating its viability in other regions.

 
The iQ EV prototype will join three more new models at the firm's Geneva Salon stand including Yaris HSD hybrid concept, the European market variant of the Prius+ minivan with seven seats, and a closer to production concept of the FT-86 rear-wheel drive coupe.

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2011Toyota FT-86 II Concept

Toyota has revealed photos of the second iteration of its FT-86 Concept car that is said to be very close to the actual production version due to go on sale in 2012. The Geneva Motor Show FT-86 II features several styling differences over the original concept shown at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show.
First off, Toyota's designers restyled the coupe's profile by eliminating the lower swoop line and adding a new beltline that starts from the front wheel arch with a cheesy air vent and finishes off on the tip of the rear window, which itself has grown in size. In addition, Toyota also split the front window and abolished the blacked out A-Column finish, while the rear wheel arches are more pronounced and there are new side rocker panels.

At the front end there's a new bumper with a larger center grille and more concave surfaces on both corners, while Toyota also threw in a pair of gaudy looking LED daytime running lights.
Finally, Toyota revamped the FT-86's rear end with new standalone, protruding tail lamps and a different treatment for the bumper that houses a more pronounced diffuser and large tail pipes on either side. The re-sculptured boot lid and the fitment of a fixed wing round off the styling changes.
The overall feeling we get is that Toyota went all 'Fast and Furious' with the FT-86's redesign making the coupe look unnecessary busy and ultimately, far less sleek compared to the original concept.
The company said the new concept measures 4,235mm long, 1,795mm wide and 1,270mm high, meaning it has grown 75mm in length, 35mm in width, and 10mm in height while riding on the same 2,570mm long wheelbase as the FT-86 I.
The rest of the specs remain a secret for now as the only details we know for sure is that the FT-86 will get a Subaru-sourced boxer engine with power being delivered to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission. The same setup will be used on Subaru's version of the FT-86 that was also on display at the Geneva Motor Show, albeit with a see-through plastic body.
As always, we'd like to hear what you have to say about the FT-86 II in our comments section below.

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