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.
photo: Toyota