Where do you draw the line between a motorcycle and a car?
Toyota's iQ Concept, a concept car that debuted in Frankfurt and will be at the 2007 Tokyo auto show, might be better suited for the next rally in Sturgis, SD.
The iQ from Toyota.
Toyota is in collaboration with two Japanese companies to develop a 1-liter engine for the iQ that will be based on a Yamaha motorcycle engine, according to reports from Auto Blog and Automotive News Europe.
Toyota plans to produce about 80,000 iQ cars for Europe by 2009 and possibly more for the Indian and Chinese markets. But don't expect to see it in the U.S. anytime soon and probably for good reason.
The ultracompact is roughly as wide as a Mini Cooper, but almost one foot shorter. It holds about three adults and "one child (or luggage)," comfortably, according to Toyota.
VR Concept car from Paulin
(Credit: Opticore)The Paulin Motor Company just launched a new concept car called the VR Concept.
Paulin is a Swedish design company founded in 2005 by Daniel Paulin, the designer who worked on the Fab 1 Thunderbird and the Focus C-MAX concepts for Ford. The company has also done work for Hyundai and Kia.
While it was sketchy on details, the VR Concept two-seater sports car is the beginning of a lineup of vehicles the company has planned, according to its announcement. The VR is "versioned for 2012." Car Body Design's comments from Daniel Paulin suggest that the designer is out to inspire car companies.
Keep in mind that this is a virtual car. Paulin partnered on the concept car with Opticore, a 3D software company who recently showed off its stuff at Siggraph, the Association for Computing Machinery's annual computer graphics conference.
The roof and spider doors hinge both away and up to completely expose the interior. The picture and my description, just don't do it justice. Watch the 3D animation video marked "Hood & Doors" on Paulin's site.
VR Concept
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