Toyota today revealed the FT-CH compact hybrid concept in Detroit at the North American International Auto Show. This compact hybrid concept provides a hybrid model that "Toyota dealers and customers have been asking for," according to Toyota Motor Sales president Jim Lentz.
According to Toyota's press release, the CH stands for compact hybrid as in compact class and it’s a concept that can best be defined by comparing it with the mid-size class Prius. The FT-CH captures the spirit and functionality of a car that thrives in the inner-city environment; sized right to be nimble, responsive and maneuverable.
Designed at Toyota's European Design and Development center in Nice, France, the concept has a European flair to it and shares many design elements with the Prius and the sub-compact iQ. Compared to Prius, it is 22 inches shorter in overall length, yet loses less than an inch in overall width. In spite of its compact external dimensions, Toyota says the FT-CH was designed for maximum passenger comfort and interior roominess, with "an imaginative sense of style".
Toyota is looking to target a younger, less-affluent buyer demographic with the FT-CH with its lower price point. Toyota was able to keep the vehicle lower in total weight than the Prius and says that it's "even more fuel efficient" without providing any specifics.
The FT-CH concept looks much less "space-age" than some of Toyota's other concepts. I believe part of the reason for that is that they plan to move this vehicle into production sometime in 2011 for a 2012 model year launch. With its eye-catching good looks and Prius-like versatility, Toyota is looking at a winner in the first sibling to the Prius.
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