Iq on sale now, coming to the US as a Scion?

Ive been pouring over the article at Motor Authority and they have some revealing  news about the IQ.

Its on sale in Japan and has a price tag at just over $13,000.  They also continue the rumor dropping that the IQ will show up in the US as a Scion.  Another photo of the Japanese Modellista iQs - the Maxi and Mixture and the full article can be read here.

Subscribe to this blog's RSS feed

I found these images over at the MotorAuthority.com website.  Great Shots!  The interior looks smart, comfortable and ergonomic.  It looks like the key goes in below the air conditioning controls and a start button is added near the lower right hand side of the steering column. Stylish use of colors and materials!  View the complete gallery here.

Tokyo, Oct 22, 2008 (Jiji Press) - Auto parts maker Denso Corp.  Denzo said Wednesday it has developed a new small air conditioner for Toyota Motor Corp.’s Toyota’s ultra-compact iQ vehicle.

With improved resin model technologies, Denso reduced the size of the blower fan by almost half the size of its conventional model. This helps cut the air conditioner volume by 20 pct and by some 12 pct in weight.

In addition, the new air conditioner gives front passenger extra legroom by displacing the blower unit to the center of the vehicle.

The review and prices page at Consumer Auto Guide has some good information on the upcoming Toyota IQ.  They have plenty of specs and speculations on what the IQ will come loaded with.  Much of this has been reported or discussed already, but they have put it all together in one place.  They do mention the Scion IQ rumor again and guess that US roll out would be no earlier then Autumn of 2009.

Poole, Chris. “2010 Toyota iQ Review and Prices.” 09 April 2008. HowStuffWorks.com. 08 October 2008.

Toyota Develops World’s First Rear Window Curtain Shield Airbag

Tokyo, Sept 30, 2008 - (JCN Newswire) - TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announced today that it has developed an SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) rear window curtain shield airbag-the world’s first*-to protect rear passengers’ heads in the event of a rear-end collision.

The innovative airbag deploys from the roof lining above the rear window in the form of a curtain-like barrier. Together with the headrests, the airbag minimizes impact to the head from a colliding vehicle or parts of the hit vehicle, thus helping to reduce the severity of injuries. Its use in the soon-to-be launched “iQ” ultra-compact four-seater is expected to approximately double the car’s rear passenger head protection performance.

TMC has continued to actively develop and make available its collision safety technologies-resulting in such achievements as the swift market introduction of SRS curtain shield and knee airbags-to enable its vehicles to better respond to a greater range of accidents.

As a part of its efforts to realize sustainable mobility, Toyota intends to strengthen its traffic safety initiatives in the future through: 1) the development of even safer vehicles and technologies, 2) participation in the creation of a safe traffic environment and 3) activities designed to educate people on traffic safety, thereby contributing to the complete elimination of traffic casualties, which can be viewed as the ultimate hope of a society that values mobility.

*According to TMC research, as of September 2008