By: ROBINSON/BEINTEMA AUTOFILES

Toyota plans to exhibit eight concept vehicles at the 40th Tokyo Motor Show under the theme: Harmonious Drive, a New Tomorrow for People and the Planet.

In keeping with its tradition of highlighting new, automotive possibilities at the Tokyo Motor Show in the form of a wide variety of concept vehicles and groundbreaking technologies, Toyota's exhibit is meant to provide new proposals for the automobile.

Planned highlights include a vehicle that completely redefines what it means to be environmentally considerate and one that rewrites the rules of auto design with a proposal for ultra-efficient vehicle packaging.

Through the exhibit, Toyota aims to showcase its pursuit of the essential emotional appeal of cars being fun to drive and a pleasure to use and to indicate its approach toward making sustainable mobility a reality so that people can coexist in harmony with the environment.

Toyota concept vehicles at the 40th Tokyo Motor Show include:

The 1/X is a concept vehicle that redefines from its very roots the idea of what it means to be environmentally considerate.  It maintains an interior space on par with that of the Prius, with an aimed-for fuel efficiency that is double and a weight reduced to 420 kilograms (about one third the weight of the Prius).

The RiN focuses on increased comfort and serene, healthy living.

In addition to featuring comfortable, heated seats, an oxygen-level conditioner and pinpoint humidifier, uses green glass that reduces infiltration of ultraviolet and infrared light and makes the surroundings seem brighter and clearer to increase cabin comfort.

The i-REAL is a personal mobility vehicle made closely in human scale as a step toward commercialization in the near future. It uses three wheels (two at the front and one at the back), in low-speed mode, shortening its wheelbase to allow it to maneuver naturally among pedestrians at similar eyesight height without taking up a large amount of space; in high-speed mode the wheelbase lengthens to provide a lower centre of gravity and better driving performance.

The iQ CONCEPT overturns the conventions of automobile design by offering ultra-efficient packaging aimed at reducing CO2 emissions.  This ultra-compact vehicle maintains the status of a premium automobile even with its exceptionally short length of less than three metres.

The Hi-CT aims to offer a new coolness and new ways to have fun as a departure from conventional vehicles, an edgy, urban vehicle inspired by the thinking and lifestyles of youth. It adopts a plug-in hybrid technology, which allows it to charge from an external power source and gives it a greater driving range when running on its battery-powered motor. Placing the battery under the floor achieves a highly efficient cabin with a higher driver position.

The FT-MV makes its presence felt as a first-class, new-generation minivan. It boasts a bold, vibrant and stately exterior that includes luxurious, second-row seats with fully automatic ottoman style, using soft ambient lighting to create an elegant space.

The Crown Hybrid Concept's latest hybrid system, VDIM (Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management) and other features, result in an advanced fusion of driving, environmental and safety performance.  The time has come to present the next-generation inspirational luxury sedan.

As a next-generation hybrid sports car, the FT-HS does not compromise in its aim of offering driving excitement and being environmentally considerate. It offers the exceptionally smooth cruising of a hybrid vehicle combined with high fuel efficiency, reduced CO2 and other emissions and a quiet cabin, on top of the driving excitement of rear-wheel drive.

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