The Demo Site

Hard on the eyes yet easy on the environment, Toyota’s FT-EV concept debuting at the Detroit auto show offers a glimpse of how the company plans to bring a short-range, urban electric vehicle to market by 2012. Based on the quirky iQ minicar currently sold in Japan—and going on sale in Europe this month—the concept does away with the car’s pint-sized gasoline or diesel engine in favor of a compact battery-fed electric drivetrain that the company says allows it to cover up to 50 miles between recharges.