Toyota's Mystery MPV

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

Autoexpress has one of those compelling-but-mysterious stories on a possible new MPV from Toyota. We know that it will be a compact seven-seater, but the basis for the new MPV is still unclear. “We’re looking at a seven-seater based on the Prius. It would use a lithium-ion battery, and could be here by 2012,” says one anonymous tipster. But iQ city car chief engineer Hiroki Nakajima claims that another approach could be in the cards. Specifically, Toyota is looking at proliferating iQ space-saving developments across its product line, and Nakajima reckons that iQ breakthroughs could be used to squeeze seven seats into a Yaris platform. “We’re working on a seven-seater that’s the size of the Yaris,” says Nakajima. “We can do it, and give limo-like legroom in the back!” Of course this approach would likely make a hybrid system too expensive. For the US market, a slightly-larger Prius-based option (such as the Estima concept pictured above) would likely be a more popular choice. Frankly, the California soccer mom arms race would never be the same. Until the Lexus version comes out.

Edward Niedermeyer
Edward Niedermeyer

More by Edward Niedermeyer

Comments
Join the conversation
4 of 10 comments
  • Psarhjinian Psarhjinian on Dec 18, 2008
    I’d like to see the size of the 7 people that fit into that vehicle! It sounds more like a circus mobile than something remotely passable for 7 people to ride in on a daily basis. With chair-like seating it's not too bad. If you've driven, say, a Honda Element (as a mild example) or a UPS truck (as an extreme one), you'll get the idea. Your legs drop straight down instead of splaying forward. requiring less space for the driver and front passenger. It's weird, but it works very well. To get an idea, line up three rows of two kitchen chairs. See how close you can get them while maintaining leg room. That should give you an idea of the floorplan of a vehicle such as this. Add iQ/B-Class engine placement, and Fit-like fuel tank location and you could do it in near-Yaris proportions.
  • Psarhjinian Psarhjinian on Dec 18, 2008
    Why is it so difficult to just take the wonderful 3.5 liter that exists in the purgatory that is the Camry/ES 350 and make a sports coupe using the IS platform? Because two-door cars with two rows of seats are stupid. If you look at the current "hot car" market, they all have four doors. WRX/STI? Check. Evo? Check. MS3, GTI or A3? Check, check. There's a four-door M3, now and Cadillac has little chance of doing the CTS coupe. Acura killed the RSX in favour of the TSX. Two-doors are anachronisms. This is a bit of a generalization, but the only coupes I see with any frequency are chick cars like the non-SS Cobalt or luxury sleds like the CLK (high) or Solara (low) trucking rich, middle-agers out to dinner. I'm a bit biased, but the opinions I've gathered are that no one really likes two-door cars now that they no longer come with eight-foot-long doors.
  • Michael Ayoub Michael Ayoub on Dec 19, 2008

    I must disagree, psarhjinian. BMW Coupes are incredibly common, among all ages and genders. At least around here, anyway.

  • Johnster Johnster on Dec 19, 2008
    John R : Oh. My. God. I am going to scream! Why is it so difficult to just take the wonderful 3.5 liter that exists in the purgatory that is the Camry/ES 350 and make a sports coupe using the IS platform? I’m not asking for an LF-A. Just a Supra for the Z to box with. It's on its way in the next year or so as a hardtop convertible with a retractable metal roof that is supposed to replace the hideously ugly SC430. Check out the pictures at the following link: http://www.lexus.com/fcv/is_convertible.html Click on the photo gallery to see the car with its metal top up.
Next