Toyota Volta Supercar

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!

http://autoweek.com/specials/2004_geneva/volta/images/1.jpg

Designed in the Italdesigns studio (http://www.italdesign.it/dinamic/webspecials/home.html)

Download the official PDF press release here (please right-click, save as):

http://www.italdesign.it/dinamic/webspecials/pdf/TOYOTAVOLTA.pdf

repost.

sorry..........

but where is it?

Yes it's a repost, but much more descriptive AND AWESOME PICTURE.

nice follow up

all body carbon fibre body sounds expensive though... and I wonder how they do body work on cars like that after an accident...

:confused:

Originally posted by Spunky~AE86
nice follow up

all body carbon fibre body sounds expensive though... and I wonder how they do body work on cars like that after an accident...

:confused:

They don't, they just write it off. Then you buy another one.

Here it is in damn fcukin' hot red!!!
http://www.autoweek.com/specials/2004_geneva/volta/images/2.jpg

I've lovin' this car!!! I'm speechless. I gotta start saving my lunch money :p:

They need to be able to offer this car for the same price as a NSX or Viper so there is no way they could offer a carbon fibre body without getting insanely expensive.

Hopefully they go with an aluminum shell to keep the wieght and price down.

Great marketing for Synergy Drive basically.

:cool:

nah, i bet tehy'll kep the carbon fiber body, and sell it close to cost, or even at a loss. they can afford to do this. They did it witht eh prius, and there's some other car, though i forget what that tehy're selling almost right at cost.


oh, and the tC is supposedly at a loss or close to it too. i think i was reading that they need to sell some ungodly amount by 05 to make any profit, but tehy don't particularly care.