We predicted the arrival of this car on motortrend.com, months ago. It's the Scion IQ, and really what it is, is a re-batch version of Toyota's European micro car. The IQ is barely a foot longer than a smart, yet it has roomer board for four people, it's a master piece of packaging.
It has a front mounted engine and front wheel drive. The engine is canted and the differential is next to the engine. This allows the front wheels to be pushed forward and the drivers feet to be pushed forward by about, 5 inches. Other developments included a special steering rack that's mounted high on the firewall and a completely redesigned air conditioning system. Also that the car can be packaged in the minimum foot print.
The platform is fascinating because Toyota has big plans for it. It wants to build a seven passenger mini-van that has the same footprint as a Toyota Yaris and it will boot it on this platform, a slightly extended version of this platform. Now, the IQ is sold as a Toyota in Europe and Japan. But here, in the United states, Toyota figures it's a little too far out there for the mainstream Toyota buyer. It probably fits better with Scion's funkier image. No word on whether it's coming to the United States. But the mere fact, that the cars here, it has Scion badging on it, speaks volumes
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