Toyota's just unveiled a quadricycle concept that I really hope it gets around to building. The compact FT-Me seats two, takes up just half a parking space, and is designed to offer plenty of flexibility in a small package.
Stan Peters, who leads New Mobility Planning and Development at Toyota Europe's R&D division, explained that the company felt the need to adapt to cities that are increasingly allocating more space for walking, and it's doing so by exploring the micromobility space with new ideas like this tiny electric car.
It's just under 100 inches long (2.5 m), weighs only 937 lb (425 kg), and maxes out at 28 mph (45 km/h). That qualifies it for Voiture Sans Permis classification in France, which means teens 14 and up can drive it without a license.
Top Gear notes the FT-Me is expected to deliver at least 62 miles (100 km) on a single charge; a solar roof can extend that range by up to 18 miles (30 km) when parked in the Sun all day.
Toyota envisions people using this in all kinds of ways, including yanking out the passenger seat to make room for a foldable wheelchair or bicycle. The car can be driven fully with hand controls, so people unable to use their legs can pilot the FT-Me too.
A rear hatch makes it easy to load luggage, and you could fit boxes up to 62 inches (1.6 m) long with the passenger seat removed. There's also 360-degree visibility from the driver's seat, which should make it easy to maneuver through traffic and park in small spaces.
The company posits this little car could be used by delivery people as part of a managed fleet, and by parents who want to remotely manage when and where their kids drive it around. Toyota also thinks that it will work well in carshare services for last-mile connectivity in towns with public transport systems.
Toyota hasn't shared any more specs or what it could cost. If it were to roll out of the factory, the FT-Me would go up against a formidable bunch of tiny machines:
- Citroen Ami (40 miles/64 km of range, with a starting price of US$9,950)
- Dogood Zero (50 miles/80 km), starting at $7,760)
- Estrima Biro ($14,225, 34 miles/54 km), with a removable battery)
- Fiat Topolino ($10,760, 47 miles/76 km)
- Mobilize Duo (the electric quadricycle that replaced the Renault Twizy in 2023 – starts at $10,800, and promises up to 100 miles/160 km)
Toyota will certainly have its work cut out for it carving out a customer base from fans of this diverse range of little cars. It will need to get the FT-Me's asking price and running costs right, and I wonder if folks will really want that solar panel if it's adding a lot to the MSRP. What I am sure about, though, is that I sure would like to see Toyota get this show on the road.
Source: Toyota Motor Europe
I agree that it's not intended for NA cities.