iQ Excitement In Japan & Europe?

[dhoosee]

While North America will once again have to wait for another great car, just how excited are all of you in Japan & Europe about this up-and-coming stunner from Toyota?   How about some thoughts/feedback/comparisons to Smart, Peugeot, Nissan, etc....

I personally cannot believe that Toyota turned this car around from concept to reality so quickly (Frankfurt in 2007 to production in 2008).  Yes, it is a small car, but it's packed with a LOT of potential.  I can only hope that SOMEONE from Toyota Worldwide is looking at this little corner of the web, and seeing that there is already interest in this awesome looking automobile.  Every single unit exported to North America would be snapped up in an instant.  Why?  1) Because it's DIFFERENT   2) Because it's EXCITING  and   3) Because it's a Toyota!   

Please, Toyota, we beg of you....send this car over!   Heck, I'd buy it even if gas here wasn't approaching $4 per gallon......

[redline]

I second that! This car will be a big hit for all generations. I can see the younger drivers getting their hands on an iQ for the mod scene, just think of the gas money that can be saved to use towards modifying their iQs. The older generations will just love it for fuel efficiency and the fact that it is a hip looking effecient car for everyday needs leaving the SUVs for those road trip holidays.

[dhoosee]

Hey Tom, I was snooping around the web last night and saw some articles on Autoblog and a couple other places that mentioned Toyota bringing their Aygo to North America to "fight the Smart".  One article stated that this was to happen in 2008, but, it obviously hasn't. 

Have you heard any news about this rumor?  I'm guessing that Toyota, for whatever reason, has scuttled their plan. 

I also recently read that Scion wants to expand their offerings here and are looking at three "concepts" right now (i.e. a hybrid, small SUV, etc...).  Why not the iQ?  Toyota wants to sell 100,000 units in it's first year of production...what better place to do it than here?      AHHHH!!!  This stuff infuriates me!   

Here are some article links: 

The Aygo news:         http://www.autoblog.com/2005/03/01/toyota-aygo-debuts-in-geneva-is-scion-version-far-behind/
http://www.autoblog.com/2006/09/20/toyota-aygo-may-make-it-to-u-s/

The Scion news:  http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/24/scion-looking-to-expand-doubling-lineup/

[redline]

Hey Dave,

I've seen many occasions where web articles claim that certain cars are going to be released in certain markets but some of those plans never go through. From what I've noticed, it all depends on where the writers of these articles get their sources. I tend to rely on the actual press releases that come from the car manufacturers, which I find as the most credible.

Now that the iQ has been officially announced for release in Europe, it doesn't make sense to release the Aygo in North America, let the iQ cover this niche. What N.A. needs is something that fills a void and the iQ is it!!! If the Aygo does come to N.A. before the iQ, maybe Toyota feels that they need to ease the N.A. population into smaller sized cars, who knows.

[GregE]

While North America will once again have to wait for another great car, just how excited are all of you in Japan & Europe about this up-and-coming stunner from Toyota?   How about some thoughts/feedback/comparisons to Smart, Peugeot, Nissan, etc....

I personally cannot believe that Toyota turned this car around from concept to reality so quickly (Frankfurt in 2007 to production in 2008).  Yes, it is a small car, but it's packed with a LOT of potential.  I can only hope that SOMEONE from Toyota Worldwide is looking at this little corner of the web, and seeing that there is already interest in this awesome looking automobile.  Every single unit exported to North America would be snapped up in an instant.  Why?  1) Because it's DIFFERENT   2) Because it's EXCITING  and   3) Because it's a Toyota!   

Please, Toyota, we beg of you....send this car over!   Heck, I'd buy it even if gas here wasn't approaching $4 per gallon......

[GregE]

I can't seem to find an article concerning the introduction of the iQ in the US.  Has anyone heard any diffinitive news concerning this.   I have been waiting for a smart car since last May and am becoming increasingly disgusted with the manner the company is being managed.  Negatives include:  poor warranty (2 years) ,  No spare tire ,  no cruise control,  barbaric transmission, a gaggle of orphan cars being sold to scabs not even on the waiting list and a company being run by apparent highschoolers.  Any input would be appreciated.     Thanks in advance.

[redline]

Hi GregE,

Welcome. Right now, from Toyota's press releases, the iQ will not be available in North America any time soon. I find their goal of 1000,000 units sold in the first year quite optimistic. If that goal is a top priority for them maybe they may have to bring it to N.A. asap to achieve it. That's what I'm hoping for!

[oogie]

Is Totota wanting to sap the US market as much as they can by amortizing their luxury /gas hogs ,before introducing this car here?

If so, that implies that the buyers of this car in NA would already be a toyota owner.So, Iq sales would only eat at existing toyota sales here.

Also, if the car meets euro safety / emissions standards, whats to stop individuals from importing to NA from wherever in Europe?

[Mr Sparkle]

Well, I'm pretty excited about it. I'm not a real fan of cars, but this is hitting the right buttons for me...

I looked first at the Smart fortwo, but the terrible customer service put me off. If the dealer doesn't have the courtesy to treat me right BEFORE purchase, I can't image how bad the service must be after purchase!

Toyota customer service is extraordinarily good.

In the UK, petrol is around 90p a litre ($1.40 - roughly twice what you pay in the US), so a car that does so many km to the litre is very attractive; we also have to pay road tax which is based on how polluting a car is (polluting in terms of carbon emissions, not on how harmful the emissions are to the human respiratory system). At 99g/km, the IQ is exempt from road tax. It can also drive into central London without having to pay the congestion charge (which has nothing to do with congestion).

I did test drive the Aygo, and it handled very nicely, but it rattled a lot and was noisy. It's cheaper than the IQ, has to pay road tax (£25 a year), but lacks style. Being co-developed with Citroen and Peugeot it also lacks identity.

So, anyway, the IQ looks like the sort of car I would be happy to drive. I'll be test-driving it next week; I'll try to take some photos of it, and post back with more info ASAP.

[kevinb]

I haven't managed to get a test drive yet and
the only iQ near me at the moment (Lincolnshire UK) is an automatic.

Dealers in the UK are supposed to get their first vehicle by 9th Jan,
so not long to wait now - let us know how you get on Mr Sparkle.

I hope the iQ is a lot nicer ride and less basic than the Aygo,
to justify the higher price.

[Mr Sparkle]

I was supposed to have a test drive last week, but when I arrived at the showroom I was told "no". Only the display model was available to examine.

Initial impression - the car looks big. It's like a cube. I didn't like it. The pictures are much better. Black looks terrible.

Inside, I have grave concerns about. There is NO boot space at all. NONE. Unlike the Smart where you can at least squeeze in a sports bag. I was expecting at least a little room, perhaps a little wedge of space behind the rear seats. But no. There is none.

And that means the rear passengers are right against the hatch at the back. There is nothing more than a windscreen between them and the card that's just smashed into your rear at 70 miles an hour. You think a curtain airbag is going to protect your passengers? I don't regardless of the 5 star safety rating (take these ratings with a pinch of salt).

Naturally, there is no room for a spare wheel, so you get a puncture repair kit (the expanding foam type of stuff). That's all well and good, but where are you supposed to keep the kit? There are precious few storage area, and those that are available are designed to hold drinks.

There is no glove compartment, just a clip on bag, which we know about. But the bag flaps around and is so slim it is virtually useless. It's not a practical storage solution.

Over all I was not impressed with my examination.

The salesman told me the ride would be identical to the Aygo as they use the same engine (his words). The new differential would make no difference to the feel of the drive either, apparently.

To be fair, my perceptions could be marred by the salesman's efforts to make me sign up for a new car before the end of December, whether an Aygo or an IQ. Without test driving both I steadfastly refused. Being called by my first name also hacked me off a little.

I have been asked to be told when an IQ will be available for test driving, but the way things are at the moment, the Aygo is the better deal, especially now that the 2009 models have just 106 g/km CO2 emissions and they do 62 mpg.

The Aygo Blue matches the IQ's specs and costs £1000 less. Plus it can be converted to LPG for even lower road tax and cheaper fuel. I don't think the IQ can be converted - where would the LPG tank go.