An electric vehicle unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show

Japanese automaker Toyota has just issued a decidedly laconic press release announcing the unveiling at the Detroit Auto Show of a small, battery-powered, electric vehicle, the FT-EV, set to hit markets in early 2010.


The vehicle, which no one has seen yet, is reportedly inspired from the diminutive subcompact, four-seat iQ sedan presented at the Geneva Auto Show. It is designed for the North American market, but will have to pass the U.S. government's crash tests before it can be commercialized.

The FT-EV is evidently a small car with a limited operating range designed for the city and supposedly boasting a sales price well below 20,000 USD. Toyota is joining the ranks of manufacturers having announced the imminent marketing of electric vehicles, including Chrysler, Chevrolet, Mercedes-Benz and BYD.

This is not Toyota's first foray into electric vehicle territory: the automaker experimented with the technology on its RAV-4 and e-com a little earlier this year. We'll find out more at the Detroit Auto Show, to be held on January 17 to 25, 2009.