The Toyota iQ city car platform could be used for a larger car.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The iQ concept was first shown at last year’s Frankfurt motor show. It is a city car just three meters long, which will be positioned between the Fiat 500 and BMW Mini.
According to Autocar, a larger model would make sense because, although it will be sold as a premium model, the iQ will struggle to achieve economies of scale to make it cost effective. A larger car would help achieve total sales for the platform of around 500,000 units.
Autocar says that a bigger car would be in direct competition with the VW Up! It adds that its Toyota sources say there will not be a hybrid version as there would be no room for a battery pack in such a small car. It would also be heavy and undermine weight saving efforts.
The iQ will go on sale in early 2009. There will be a choice of two petrol engines and one diesel engine.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataSo it was not a great surprise when the sources confirmed that a bigger version of the iQ was possible. Such a move would also put the Toyota in direct competition with the VW Up! range.
