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The iQ is Really Coming to the US, either as a Scion or as a Toyota

The new tongue-in-cheek named Toyota iQ supermini might follow its smart fortwo adversary on the United States playground right after its introduction in Europe. Toyota's chief engineer Hiroki Nakajima said that he expects a midterm US launch in 2009, just before the first model update.

"We are investigating introducing the iQ to the U.S. market," he said. The somehow late launch date for the States market comes because of the different safety standards on yankee land. Nakajima said that Toyota must develop different airbags and improve the strength of the car's bumpers in order to pass the US safety tests (in other words, the European and Japanese iQ will be less safe).

Corroborating earlier rumors that the new iQ will make its way into American shores as a Scion-badged supermini, not as a Toyota, the price might not be as petite as the model's size might suggest. The Japanese version will retail between 1.4 million and 1.6 million yen, which roughly translates as 14,000 and 16,000 US dollars, depending on trim level.

Considering the bigger Yaris starts from around 12,000 dollars in America, the iQ might be marketed as a smart(ish) Scion rival to the similarly priced US smart fortwo, which is also considered a lifestyle supermini.

Using an entirely new platform which blends innovations such as a midget air-conditioning unit and an uncommon transmission placement, the iQ will be first launched on the Japanese market on the 20th of November and in early 2009 in Europe. The first versions will sport a 1.0 liter gasoline three-cylinder, but the model has enough room under the hood for a 1.5-liter engine if the American drivers are in need of more power output from their tiny grocery-getter.

Check out the gallery below for pictures of the little bugger:

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About the author: Alex Oagana
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Alex handled his first real steering wheel at the age of five (on a field) and started practicing "Scandinavian Flicks" at 14 (on non-public gravel roads). Following his time at the University of Journalism, he landed his first real job at the local franchise of Top Gear magazine a few years before Mircea (Panait). Not long after, Alex entered the New Media realm with the autoevolution.com project.
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