2011 Scion iQ
Eco-friendly vehicles have been increasing in popularity over the last few years. That being said, short term popularity has decreased as gasoline in the US declined in price, to below $4 per gallon. This is bad news for small car manufacturers, including the likes of Smart, who pride themselves on saving money on fuel for their consumers.
This has had a knock on effect for the Smart ForTwo, which has seen a decline in sales. That being said, Toyota is already preparing the launch of its rival vehicle for 2011, the Scion iQ. The new iQ will be hitting US dealers in March next year.
Whilst the details have been few and far between, the Scion iQ was originally revealed as a concept car. The New York Auto Show was the venue Toyota chose to use as their outlet to intrigue customers, which seems to have worked. The interest seems to be there, so Toyota brought the production model to the 2010 show.
There have been doubts that Toyota is even ready to take the Scion iQ into production, but Toyota have confirmed otherwise. Scion VP, Jack Hollis, has already assured interested parties at a recent press release that they are still on target to hit the scheduled production launch date.
It is quite obvious what Toyota has based their new development on; the Smart ForTwo. That being said, the new Scion iQ does offer consumers so much more than the ForTwo ever could.
There were some problems with the original development, mainly in the gearbox department. Test drivers found that the combination of the gearbox and engine did not work together well and gave an extremely uncomfortable ride.
As one of the worse features of the car, Toyota has managed to change it ready for the production model. They have incorporated a continuously variable transmission, which offers much more consistent acceleration, increasing ride comfort.
So what can consumers expect from the 2011 Scion iQ? Well, they can expect a reasonable priced mini car, weighing in at just $11,990 for the entry level vehicle. Fuel economy should be in the same ball park as the ForTwo, hitting around 33mpg in the city, whilst highway driving should achieve around 41mpg.
Safety has also been improved, with the iQ now incorporating a rear window air cushion to protect passengers in the rear in case of an accident. Only time will tell whether the iQ is as popular as the ForTwo.
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