iroad02

Toyota Motor Corporation’s sleek and compact vehicle shows off its moves in a new promotional video after successful public trials in Tokyo. Watch these cute and colorful little vehicles whizz past the city’s landmarks and glide around corners while leaning at an incredible angle.

Unveiled at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, Toyota’s i-ROAD is an ultra-compact vehicle with the flexibility and convenience of a motorcycle and the comfort and stability of a car, offering a unique driving experience. It’s powered entirely by electricity, making it environmentally friendly with zero emissions and low running noise.

Designed for traveling short distances within urban spaces and able to seat two people, one behind the other, the i-ROAD would be ideal for Tokyo’s narrow streets and crammed parking lots.

Toyota has recently run a limited public trial in Japan’s capital, and Tokyoites who were lucky enough to have the chance to try out the vehicles describe their experiences in the promotional video below. One of the key features of the i-ROAD is the way it leans into turns, and drivers enthused about how fun the experience was, with one commenting that “you really feel at one with the vehicle”.

iroad01

October of this year will also see the tiny electric vehicles out and about on the streets of Grenoble, France thanks to a new car-sharing scheme. There are around 30 planned charging stations where commuters will be able to use their phones to check out an i-ROAD, checking it back in at another station close to their destination. The scheme is designed to reduce commuting time while being environmentally friendly, similar to London’s ‘Boris Bikes’ or Tokyo’s Suicle, although with the i-ROAD you have the added bonus that you won’t get wet if it rains!

There’s no word yet on if and when the i-ROAD will ever be commercially available, but we’ll be keeping an eye on how the Grenoble car-sharing scheme works out. And for the record, I’d totally choose the bright pink one.

Source: Toyota Global Newsroom, TGN YouTube, Toyota Official Website