This year’s Detroit Auto Show is already shaping up to be a mecca for the next generation of green cars, and Toyota is leading the surge. The company made two massive announcements at the North American International Auto Show, starting with a sleek new concept called the FT-CH. Toyota envisions the five-door as an expansion of its already unstoppable dedicated hybrid program, and we’ve got to say the design is leaps and bounds ahead of the Prius. Speaking of the people’s hybrid, Toyota says the FT-CH is around 22 inches shorter than the Prius and just as wide, helping to give the car a meaty stance.
As much as we’d like to be able to dish on drivetrain details, they were nowhere to be found. Our guess is the FT-CH will get its power from nickel metal hydride batteries, an 80 horse electric motor and the 93 horsepower 1.8-liter four-cylinder from the Prius. Toyota also kept its secrets to itself on the likelihood of ever seeing the FT-CH in production.
There is the possibility that the FT-CH will be a fuel cell hybrid. Why do we say that? Toyota made the announcement that it will be rolling out over 100 demonstration fuel cell hybrid vehicles over the next three years. The cars will be going to government agencies, universities and companies to help Toyota work out the kinks before the hydrogen-powered cars hit the market in 2015. The company hopes that hydrogen will be more readily available five years from now.
Here’s hoping.
Source Toyota
