Alessandro Volta invented the electric battery and Toyota has created the ultimate for-production hybrid-electric powertrain that sees its first use in the Lexus RX400h unveiled in Detroit this past January. Put the two great moments in circuitry together and you get a supercar commemorating Alessandro's awesomeness and AW's pick for Most Significant at Geneva. It impresses us that 1) Toyota is doing a supercar in the first place, 2) they got together with Giugaro to do it instead of their own ED2 studio in the south of France and 3) it's a beautiful hybrid car instead of looking like a rolling experiment pod. The Italdesign-Giugiaro Toyota Alessandro Volta generates a calculated 402 horsepower from the Hybrid Synergy Drive System in this guise and that takes it to 62 mph from 0 mph in just four seconds thanks to the all carbon fiber body and chassis construction from Giugiaro resulting in a curb weight of just 2866 pounds versus the RX400h at 4000-something. Top speed is limited to 155 mph and average mileage hits nearly 40 mpg. And it could see production by 2007. We have a new market segment, kids!
Designed in the Italdesigns studio
Download the official PDF press release here (please right-click, save as):
http://www.italdesign.it/dinamic/web...OYOTAVOLTA.pdf
