Hybrid Supercar - Toyota Volta

[Billy77]

March 7, 2004

 

Geneva Show-Goers Get Charge out of Toyota's Volta

by Trevor Hofmann , Canadian Auto Press

 

Toyota Joins Italdesign for Japanese-Italian Special

 

Toyota, not particularly known for breakthrough styling, has become one of the world's top selling carmakers primarily based on quality engineering alone. What would happen if the number one Japanese brand put as much energy into making its award-winning cars look as good as they go?

Toyota seems to have mastered quality engineering, now what if they combine this knowledge with breathtaking new designs? (Photo: Toyota Canada)

That's a question recently answered by Italdesign's Fabrizio Giugiaro, son of famed automotive designer Giorgetto Giugiaro. The Italian design house joined together with Toyota to launch the Volta in Geneva earlier this month, a car named in honor of physicist Alessandro Volta who invented the battery.

Fitting that Toyota has incorporated its latest hybrid powertrain into the new concept, a version of the RX400h that made its official debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit last January.

Toyota has teamed up with Italdesign's Fabrizio Giugiaro, son of famed automotive designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, to launch the Volta in Geneva earlier this month. (Photo: Toyota Canada)

"The hybrid engine can provide great power and great performance, so I tried to pen a body that would express this dynamism," commented Fabrizio Giugiaro, head of Italdesign's styling and model division.

This second generation Hybrid Synergy Drive system uses the 3.3-liter V6 common to a variety of Toyota/Lexus products, plus two powerful electric motors to produce a phenomenal 408 horsepower (300 kW). Needless to say the lightweight sports car is quick, shooting forward from standstill to 100 km/h in a sizzling 4.03 seconds before reaching a terminal velocity of 250 km/h (155 mph).

 

Lightweight? The chassis is comprised of carbon fiber for extreme rigidity and reduced mass, combined with a racing-type front and rear suspension and midship layout for enhanced balance during high-speed maneuvers. The lightweight sport car shoots from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.03 seconds, using the latest Toyota hybrid engine technology. (Photo: Toyota Canada)

Stopping power is equally up to the task, due to ceramic composite-material brakes supplied by renowned brake specialist Brembo.

 

How does the sophisticated powertrain work? The rear wheels get power from the combustion engine as well as one of the electric motors, while the front wheels offer four-wheel traction via the second electric motor. The innovative layout reduces weight and the need for a space hogging driveshaft to the front axle. Thanks to the hybrid engine, if driven more moderately a single 7.5 liter (13.7 gallon) tank of gasoline should result in approximately 700 km (435 miles). (Photo: Toyota Canada)

The resultant flat floor and wide beam (just under 2 meters/6.6 feet) allowed Toyota to sit three adult passengers side-by-side, with a single smaller seat in the rear - it is designated a 3+1 coupe.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Toyota hybrid without being economical. If driven more moderately a single 7.5 liter (13.7 gallon) tank of gasoline should result in approximately 700 km (435 miles).

Toyota once again has bent the rules of performance, developing a powerful supercar that won't offend Mother Nature or her minions. Ironic, but the one company that would have no financial challenges building a car this daring, probably won't. Enthusiasts with socially conscious hearts can only hope.