>>Toyota Sportivo Coupe

Toyota Sportivo Coupe

Toyota Sportivo Coupe
Manufacturer	Toyota Motor Corporation
Production	2004 (concept car)
Predecessor	N/A
Class	Coupé

The Toyota Sportivo is a concept car developed by Toyota of Australia. The car is most notable for not only its decidedly high-tech design, but that it was designed by a group of Teenagers (ages 14-18). Key design elements include a speedometer in which the speed limit always occupies the 12 o'clock position. It also features GPS, Bluetooth, and a Driver I.D. system which automatically configures the car to the drivers settings saved on the card. The entire vehicle was built in 30 weeks using CAD and rapid prototyping. The vehicle is built on top of a modular Toyota frame.

>>Toyota Pod

Toyota Pod

The Toyota Pod was a concept car created by the Japanese automobile marque Toyota in collaboration with Sony. The Pod was first shown at the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show. The Pod was unique as it was designed with artificial intelligence systems built in to make the car appear more personal.

The Pod was much like a living being due to the AI programmed into it. The featured a screen inside with Sony-created software running on it, capable of creating shopping lists and running music and radio. The car could also judge the attitude and mood of the driver based on their reactions and how they are driving, and could offer advice on how to improve their current mood. The seats inside are like stools which could freely spin and rotate. On the exterior, the Pod could express its own feelings with coloured LEDs - red for anger, yellow for happy, blue for sad - and an antenna that wags, much like a dog's tail. The Pod was designed as a "car of the future" and hence was never put into production.

The Pod was featured in the game Gran Turismo Concept and had an exclusive race to itself. A new track - using segments from the Clubman Stage Route 5 course - was created which involved 6 Pods driving through the pitlane backwards before stopping in a special area for several seconds before being allowed to resume racing.

>>Toyota Motor Triathlon Race Car

Toyota Motor Triathlon Race Car

Manufacturer	Toyota

The Toyota Motor Triathlon Race Car (MTRC) is a fuel cell concept race car designed and built by Toyota's European design studio ED2. It made its world premier at the Geneva Motor Show, and its US debut at the 2004 New York International Auto Show.

The MTRC is a response to the cultural interests of young people today, such as mobile phones, video games, computers and internet play.

The car is featured in the Sony Playstation 2 game Gran Turismo 4. This car in Gran Turismo 4 is driveable but can't be used for racing.

Specifications

• Overall length: 4,060 millimeters / 159.8 inches
• Overall width: 1,930 millimeters / 76 inches
• Overall height: 1,330 - 1,480 millimeters / 52.4 - 58.3 inches
• Wheelbase: 2,950 millimeters / 116.1 inches
• Tread, front: 1,600 millimeters / 63.3 inches
• Number of seats: 2
• Fuel cell type: Toyota fuel cell stack
• Drive system: 4WD (in-wheel motors)

>>Toyota i-unit

Toyota i-unit

Toyota i-Unit.

The i-Unit in the low position at the IAA 2005 in Frankfurt.

The i-Unit in the high position at the IAA 2005 in Frankfurt.

The i-unit is an ultra-compact single seater four wheeled Toyota concept car. It debuted at the World Expo 2005, held in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The vehicle is a cross between a Microcar, a motorcycle, and a vehicular exoskeleton. The goal of Toyota is to provide a personal mobility, which can be used on roads but also does not hinder interaction with pedestrians. For this the i-unit has two possible setups. First, there is an upright low speed setup, where the rider has a higher position and can have conversations face-to-face with pedestrians and can move among people. This upright position can be transformed while driving to a low position, where the rider sits much lower and more reclined. This high speed setup has a much lower center of gravity and is for driving at higher speeds.

The i-unit weighs 180 kilograms. It contains a lithium ion battery and features Intelligent Transport System technology. The rear wheels are powered by electric motors, and the device is steered with the front wheels. In the upright position it has a turning radius of 0.9 metres (35.4 in), which means it can turn on the spot. The vehicle is controlled by two joystick-like devices at the front of the armrests, and uses a Drive-by-wire technology. An Intelligent Transport System (ITS) technology aims to reduce the likelihood of accidents.

The color of the lights can change according to the preferences or emotions of the operator. The shape was designed to symbolize a leaf, and the design incorporates environmentally friendly materials such as kenaf.

This concept vehicle is of course used by Toyota for public relations, and they state that The "i-unit" is a form of "personal mobility" that seeks to attain a greater balance of meeting individuals' wishes to enjoy freedom of movement, harmony with society, and harmony with the Earth's natural environment. They also refer to these vehicles as wearable personal mobility vehicles. A representative at the IAA 2005 in Frankfurt stated that Toyota may plan to offer these type of vehicles for sale, but did not provide a date when the vehicle will be available. Currently the vehicle lacks features such as a storage compartment (i.e. Trunk or glove compartment), and the protection against bad weather is inadequate.

Twelve i-units together with two Toyota i-foot (two legged walking seats for one passenger, maximum capacity 60 kg) performed at the Toyota Pavilion at the 2005 World Expo in Aichi.

Dimension	Low Speed	High Speed
Length	1.100 metres (43.3 in)	1.800 metres (70.9 in)
Height	1.800 metres (70.9 in)	1.250 metres (49.2 in)
Width	1.040 metres (40.9 in)	0.540 metres (21.3 in)
Wheelbase	0.540 metres (21.3 in)	1.300 metres (51.2 in)

>>Toyota GTV

Toyota GTV

The Toyota GTV was a concept vehicle by Toyota with a gas turbine engine. It was first shown at the 1985 Tokyo Motor Show. A very sophisticated concept vehicle, it was based on the Toyota Carina, and was in fact a proof of concept vehicle slated initially for small-scale production.

Unlike the earlier Chrysler Turbine Car, the GTV had a de-coupled gas turbine with a two-stage heat exchanger designed to reduce the exhaust gas temperature.

A measure of Toyota's intent with the vehicle was its allowing journalists from Car Magazine to review the vehicle in 1986. Their view was favourable with regard to the overall performance of the vehicle, although the not unnatural turbine lag of the engine did hurt the overall impression of the review. The excellent CVT automatic gearbox did however endear the vehicle to testers - this gearbox has now become the cornerstone of Toyota automatic gearboxes, and the basis of the Toyota Prius gearbox.

The GTV used the Gas Turbine II engine. A regenerator took waste heat and transferred it to the incoming air, increasing efficiency. A one stage turbine was used to drive the compressor while a second turbine was connected to the drive shaft. The second stage also took the place of the fluid flywheel (torque convertor).

The main advantages of a gas turbine engine are:

• fewer moving parts,
• efficient rotational movements instead of inefficient reciprocating movements,
• more tolerant of different fuel types and grades,
• no need for water cooling, water pumps and radiators.

The main disadvantages are:

• high internal temperatures,
• high precision required during manufacturing (costly).
• turbo lag (delay between pressing the accelerator pedal and actual acceleration)

Earlier versions of the Gas Turbine engine were shown at the 1975 (in the Toyota Century) and 1977 (freestanding) Tokyo Motor Shows.

>>Toyota FX-1

Toyota FX-1

The FX-1 was a concept car by Toyota. It was first shown at the 1983 Tokyo Motor Show and also shown at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1984. It was a showcase for new technologies in driver controls, engine, suspension, materials and aerodynamics.

Driver Controls

Colour CRT's were used in the dash to display speed, rpm, fuel, temperature, etc.

Engine and Driveline

It used an enhanced prototype form of the 1G-GE engine (1998cc, 6 cylinder, twincams, EFI), a 24-valve twin cam equipped with dual turbo-chargers and intercooler, computer controlled valve timing, variable displacement and induction. At low speeds, the variable displacement system shut down half the engine to conserve fuel. The system never went into production.^[1][2]

This engine later appeared as the 1G-GTE, slightly modified for production and without the variable cam timing and variable displacement.

Transmission was via a 4 speed automatic ECT (Electronically Controlled Transmission) with overdrive.

Suspension

It used a pneumatic suspension combined with the TEMS (Toyota Electronically Modulated Suspension system). The pneumatic suspension automatically raised and lowered the front and rear of the car separately for maximum stability. TEMS was also used on the Supra and the Soarer.

Materials

Many exotic materials were used, including Fibre Reinforced Metal (body panels) and Shape Memory Effect Alloy (body panels) and Ceramics (brake rotors).

Aerodynamics

The body had a very low Cd (co-efficient of drag) value of 0.25.

Stability could be increased via aerodynamics by individually lowering the front and rear suspension according to road speed. At high speed the front was lowered two steps and the rear was lowered one step.

>>Toyota FT-HS

Toyota FT-HS

Toyota FT-HS Concept
Manufacturer	Toyota
Parent company	Toyota
Predecessor	Toyota Supra
Body style(s)	2+2 coupe
Layout	Front-engine, RWD
Engine(s)	3.5L V6 hybrid electric
Wheelbase	104.33 in (2650 mm)
Length	170.27 in (4325 mm)
Width	73.23 in (1860 mm)
Height	50.79 in (1290 mm)

The Toyota FT-HS is a hybrid sports car concept introduced at the 2007 North American International Auto Show. Calty Design Research designed the concept and suggests that it could fill the place of the Toyota Supra. FT-HS stands for Future Toyota Hybrid Sport.

The goal of the rear wheel drive hybrid powertrain is to produce 400 horsepower (300 kW) and achieve 0-60 mph in around 4 seconds. This is accomplished by combining a 3.5 L V6 and an electric motor in a manner similar to the Lexus GS450h. Unlike the GS (and virtually all other current hybrids), a production version of the FT-HS would make use of a capacitor system designed specifically for quick charging and increased performance. Since the debut of this concept, Toyota has exhibited such technology in the Supra HV-R race car.

The 2+2 vehicle features a unique retractable roof similar to a targa top. The rear seats appear to be unusable when the roof is retracted however.

In spite of the FT-HS being only a concept vehicle, Toyota's desired starting price for such a vehicle is stated to be in the mid $30,000 range.

According to Automobile Magazine, Toyota is planning to launch a production version of the vehicle in 2009. Toyota has yet to make an official announcement and no other major publication has made similar claims.

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