Japanese auto giant Toyota Motor Corp. showcased Wednesday a new hybrid concept model that is packaged in carbon fiber to reduce weight, fuel consumption and emissions.
The four-seater “1/X” (pronounced one-Xth), with a 500-cc engine, boasts a potential fuel efficiency twice that of the Prius, Toyota's popular hybrid vehicle, the company said at the Tokyo Motor Show.
“We have gone back to the basics and reconsidered everything from vehicle specifications, performance and materials to the manufacturing process,” said Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe.
“We sought extreme weight reduction by using a lightweight yet highly rigid carbon fiber reinforced plastic,” Watanabe said.
At the industry show held in suburban Tokyo, automakers highlighted environmental technologies amid rising gas prices and increasing public awareness about climate change.
Toyota said the concept vehicle's name reflects the automaker's aim to improve energy efficiency and to cut weight by unspecified “x” times.
The concept model weighs 420 kilograms (925 pounds), roughly one-third of the Prius.
The model also carries a plug-in hybrid system, which uses both electricity and fossil fuels.
Despite its strength and light weight, carbon fiber's high cost has so far limited its use in mass produced automobiles.
But anticipating rising demand, Japan's Toray Industries Inc. said earlier this month it would invest 20 billion yen (170 million dollars) to set up a research and production centre for the material in Nagoya, near the Toyota headquarters, by 2010.
