Big IQ... and small too!

Did you know Toyota too unveiled a cool small car at Frankfurt?

While everybody's attention was turned towards Volkswagen's new small car concept, the Up!, Toyota quietly pulled the wraps off a strikingly good looking and a clever little small car concept of their own, the IQ. The IQ is no less interesting compared to the Up! and is no less significant to India either.

A car based on the Up! will be developed by VW for the Indian market, and there's no reason why Toyota shouldn't be doing the same. Well, in fact they indeed are in the process of developing it. Still, Toyota says that the IQ has been designed with European cities in mind and was conceptualised by Toyota's cutting-edge design centre, ED2, at Nice.

So what's special with the IQ? Toyota claims that it's the smallest four-seat passenger concept car in the world. At less than three metres in length (2,980 mm), the IQ is smaller than not just the Maruti Suzuki Alto, but the M-800 as well!

Okay, it is slightly longer than the Reva, but unlike the electric car, it can seat four people "" more like three adults and a child "" as it is almost as wide as the Swift. Yes, if you were to ask about the Aygo "" the small Toyota that's built along with the Citroen C1 and Peugeot 107 "" well, the Aygo is longer than the IQ by over a foot, so there.

Toyota has managed to save space on the interiors by using intelligent themes and miniaturised technology. For instance, the airconditioning unit is ultra-small, allowing the funky centre console and dash to adopt a unique shape.

Other clever space-saving features include a 3D 3-in-1 display of speed, rpm and fuel status mounted above the steering column, while the GPS route finder is heads-up along the driver's vision, but is see-through when turned off.

A panoramic glass sun-roof means it feels spacious too. What's the drivetrain like? Toyota hasn't mentioned it, but we expect it to get a small IC engine at the front, and of course, a tiny hybrid system option is also possible.

The small car race then is on... who will it be, the Germans or the Japanese? Either way, it is exciting times ahead for the small car buyer.