Toyota at Geneva: Three New Vehicles
Another production vehicle making its debut in Europe for 2006 is the updated Prius. Since the introduction of the second-generation Prius, this halo vehicle for Toyota’s revolutionary Hybrid Synergy Drive system has won countless awards, including 2004 North American Car of the Year. Two years on, it gains mild cosmetic changes to keep it looking fresh, but also gains a clever new self-parking technology.
Intelligent Park Assist, or IPA for short, uses video cameras to capture a parking spot, displaying it on the active LCD display. When the driver finds a parking spot and activates the system, the car takes control of the steering; the driver merely controls the car’s speed. This technology, previously an exclusive to Japan, will be available on the Prius in Europe, as well as Lexus’ new flagship, the LS 460, globally.
Toyota will also be showing two other concept cars which were an integral part of its “Ecology & Emotion” display at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show, vehicles that project hints at future transportation solutions. The Fine-T Concept, formerly known as the Fine-X at its Tokyo Debut, offers midsize-like interior space with subcompact dimensions, four-wheel steering and fuel-cell hybrid power, while the curious-looking i-Swing Concept, a zero-emissions ‘personal transportation’ device, advances on human-robot interfaces using new IT-robotic technologies.
Toyota’s upscale brand, Lexus, will also debuting its top of the line LS sedan at Geneva in full technical detail, filling in the outline at the car’s initial launch at this year’s NAIAS which took place in early January. It will be interesting to see how the sophisticated luxury sedan is received in this hotbed of European luxury vehicles. The previous LS never managed to get much of a following in Europe, but this new version, sporting a powerful new V8, class-leading 8-speed automatic transmission and Maybach-like rear seat ottomans in top-line long-wheelbase guise, stands a much greater chance of wooing picky Euro luxury buyers who traditionally purchase German brands such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Japanese carmakers have made tremendous in-roads at the lower end of the market, however, so it’s only a matter of time before its luxury brands experience similar success to what they enjoy in North America.
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