Europeans get their first look at the production Toyota Urban Cruiser, an SUV based on the subcompact Yaris, at the 2008 Geneva auto show.
The small urban SUV expands Toyota’s range, adding a fuel sipper that should also help meet stringent carbon-dioxide-emissions regulations in Europe. We doubt it will make its way to the U.S. to help with CAFE regulations as well, but if we hear otherwise, we’ll let you know.
We first saw the Urban Cruiser concept at the 2006 Geneva auto show. The original hailed from Toyota’s EC2 design studio in Nice, France. It had a rugged, angular body, concealed rear-door handles, and a modern, curvaceous interior designed to appeal to female customers.
The headlights and the pointed beak on the hood can be traced back to the concept, but this latest take on the Urban Cruiser is considerably more conservative in exterior styling. We’ll have to wait until we get to Geneva to see how the interior has morphed.
The Toyota stand will also have on display a plug-in hybrid prototype, the Toyota 1/X plug-in hybrid concept, and the i-Real personal mobility concept that reminds us of a cross between a Segway and a motorized wheelchair.
