Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. continues to envision new possibilities realized by EVs. Nissan New Mobility Concept is a sustainable, efficient and convenient mode of transportation focusing on the increase of elderly and single households. It is a concept car for Sustainable Zero-emission Society.

Four keywords outline the NISSAN New Mobility CONCEPT:
Innovative – New two-seater compact mobility for various needs and occasions
Easy – Size which enables anyone to drive and park easily
Safe – Maneuverability equivalent to motorbikes with greater safety
Clean – No emissions while driving

NISSAN New Mobility Concept is a user-friendly, ultra-compact 100% electric vehicle with no emissions which is expected to be utilized in various situations in everyday life.

Nissan will study the use of this vehicle for a variety of services, such as:
• ’seamless mobility service’, a highly efficient and convenient public transportation service linking public transportation and EVs supported by IT,
• ‘2-mode EV car sharing’, where the vehicle is used as a private commuter vehicle in the mornings and evenings, and as a corporate car during business hours, and, contributing to the revitalization of communities with improved mobility in both urban and tourist locations.

TMC seeks to develop the ultimate earth-conscious environmentally-considerate vehicle with a focus on hybrid technologies without losing sight of the appeal of cars themselves or the joy of driving.

Over the past several years, the need has been rising for motor vehicles that take into consideration global warming and other environmental issues, while there has also been concern that there have been too few new sports cars that make the heart beat faster and that the time is right for a new generation of sports cars. In response to these needs, TMC has developed the FT-86 Concept, a sports car equipped with a 2,000cc, horizontally opposed, four-cylinder, naturally-aspirated gasoline engine that evokes the joy of driving a car and the pleasure of vehicle ownership.

As the name “Future Toyota 86 Concept” implies, the FT-86 Concept, which will be exhibited at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, is a new 86 Toyota with a flash red finish. It is a compact, rear-wheel drive sports concept car that embodies speed and the excitement of driving that give cars their appeal as well as environmental performance.

A Toyota Sports Car for a New Era when the Driver Plays the Main Role

The FT-86 Concept is 4,160mm long, 1,760mm wide, and 1,260mm high with a wheelbase of 2,570mm, giving it a compact feeling that is easy for the driver to handle while able to accommodate four occupants. In addition to being light and having a low center of gravity, the FT-86 Concept boasts the handling of a racing car as well as a 6-speed manual transmission and ADVICS brakes.

The stylish concept captures the heart with the “functional utility” of its highly-refined body. It is the creation of Toyota Europe Design Development known as ED2, which has established body lines that take into consideration a low center of gravity and aerodynamics. The interior is distinctive, featuring an instrument panel with a gray and white base, gauges with red neon lights and digital displays, and a navigation system. In addition, a zipper that evokes an image of interior lapping with minimal covering of a highly-refined body presents a striking display.

It is necessary to create a vehicle in which the driver plays the main role in order to have as many people as possible experience the joy of driving.

The FT-86 Concept is neither an electric vehicle nor a hybrid vehicle, but is a sports model with a gasoline engine developed to convey the essential appeal of automobiles in a new era. It is a must-see concept car that expresses TMC’s desire to once again create a Toyota sports car.

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A.,Inc. today announced that it will display the Toyota FT-EV concept on opening Media Day at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), confirming its plan to launch an urban commuter battery-electric vehicle (BEV) by 2012. This announcement, coupled with its compressed natural gas powered Camry Hybrid concept display at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show, signal Toyota’s intention to broaden the scope of its advanced alternative-fuel vehicle development.

“Now, more than ever, while we are so focused on the pressing issues of the moment, we cannot lose sight of our future,” said Irv Miller, TMS Group Vice President, Environmental and Public Affairs. “Nowhere is this more important than with our industry’s duty and commitment to provide true sustainable mobility with vehicles that significantly reduce fuel consumption, our carbon footprint and overall greenhouse gases.”

The FT-EV concept shares its platform with the revolutionary-new iQ urban commuter vehicle. Already a huge hit in Japan, the iQ is lightweight and seats four passengers in comfort and security, while delivering exceptional mileage, sporty performance, unique refinements and a fun, youthful image.

Toyota’s FT-EV concept imagines an urban dweller, driving up to 50 miles between home, work and other forms of public transportation, such as high-speed rail. Although, for now, the FT-EV remains a pure concept, it represents a natural pairing of product strategies.

“Last summer’s four-dollar-a-gallon gasoline was no anomaly. It was a brief glimpse of our future,” said Miller. “We must address the inevitability of peak oil by developing vehicles powered by alternatives to liquid-oil fuel, as well as new concepts, like the iQ, that are lighter in weight and smaller in size. This kind of vehicle, electrified or not, is where our industry must focus its creativity.”

Although BEVs and new smaller vehicles like the iQ will be a key component of Toyota’s sustainable mobility strategy, the conventional gas-electric hybrid, like the all new third-generation Prius, is considered Toyota’s long-term core powertrain technology.

Last year, Toyota announced that it planned to sell one million gas-electric hybrids per year sometime during the early 2010s. To accomplish this, Toyota will launch as many as 10 new hybrid models by the early 2010s, in various global markets. The new third-generation Toyota Prius and all new Lexus HS250h, both debuting in Detroit, are the first two examples of that effort.

Also, last year, Toyota announced that it would roll-out a large number of plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHVs) to global lease-fleet customers in 2010. That schedule has been moved up.

Beginning in late 2009, Toyota will start global delivery of 500 Prius PHVs powered by lithium-ion batteries. Of these initial vehicles, 150 will be placed with U.S. lease-fleet customers.

The first-generation lithium-ion batteries powering these PHVs will be built on an assembly line at Toyota’s PEVE (Panasonic EV Energy Company, LTD)
battery plant, a joint-venture production facility in which Toyota owns 60 percent equity. During its development, the new Prius was designed and engineered to package either the lithium-ion battery pack with plug-in capability, or the nickel-metal hydride battery for the conventional gas-electric system.

The 500 PHVs arriving globally in late 2009 will be used for market and engineering analysis. Lease–fleet customers will monitor the performance and durability of the first-generation lithium-ion battery, while offering real world feedback on how future customers might respond to the plug-in process.

“Future customers will have high expectations for these emerging technologies. This Prius PHV fleet program is a key first step in confirming how and when we might bring large numbers of plug-in hybrids to global markets,” said Miller.

“Our business is no longer about simply building and selling cars and trucks. It is about finding solutions to mobility challenges today and being prepared for more daunting challenges in our very near future.”