A few more Toyota hybrid concepts

Toyota 1/x plug-in hybrid concept

According to the Green Car Congress Toyota will also show this 1/x plug-in hybrid concept at the Tokyo Auto Show.

"Among the concepts is the 1/X, (pronounced “one-Xth”), a vehicle that maintains an interior space on par with that of the Prius, with a targeted fuel efficiency that is double that of the Prius and a weight reduced to 420 kilograms (about one third the weight of the Prius).

The 1/X features a 500cc flex-fuel engine and a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Built of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) throughout the body frame to ensure superior collision safety, it sports narrower pillars for a better field of vision."

In addition, Toyota will also debut Lexus LF-Xh hybrid SUV concept.

On a side note, the comments for this Green Car Congress post focus a lot on carbon fiber composites and whether they have any role in the future of automobiles. The consensus so far is that they do not.

I disagree. Aside from the revolutionary changes occurring in nanotechnology, there are other composite materials available, such as recycled plastic. Then again, I'm no materials scientist.