DETROIT (AP) Toyota unveiled a new hybrid concept car that is smaller than the Prius and geared toward younger buyers, part of the company's hybrid and alternative-fuel lineup, which will be expanding over the coming years.
The automaker showed off the FT-CH compact at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Monday and confirmed it plans to expand the Prius from a single model to a family of hybrids.
The FT-CH could be sold under the Prius name, Toyota said.
The plan to broaden the Prius lineup is a sign of its success and of buyers' loyalty to them. The Prius, which debuted in the U.S. in 2000, has long been America's top-selling hybrid and was the best-selling vehicle overall in Japan last year.
"The strategy is still taking shape and obviously it will require additional models to qualify as a family," said Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales USA, a division of Toyota Motor Corp.
Prius models would be marketed together to save on advertising costs, as there could be up to three of them. It costs more than $100 million to launch a model name and win buyer recognition, he said.
"It's much more efficient to market 300,000 or 400,000 vehicles under one brand name than it is to spend the dollars to market two or three model names," he said.
Toyota said the two-door FT-CH, 55 cm shorter than the Prius, is lighter and more fuel-efficient. Its styling, inspired by 8-bit video games popular during the 1980s, is intended to appeal to younger buyers.
The FT-CH, as a concept vehicle, has no official sales or production schedule.
Toyota said it plans to sell 1 million hybrids a year worldwide by launching eight new models over the next few years. Toyota sold 530,000 hybrids worldwide in 2009.
It also plans to offer plug-in hybrids and all-electric cars starting in model-year 2012 and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles in 2015. Toyota has not decided whether the all-electric cars will be marketed as Prius models.
Honda Motor Co. also showed off at the Detroit show the production model of the 2011 CR-Z, a sporty two-seater hybrid that will go on sale in late summer in the U.S.
The CR-Z hatchback is Honda's attempt to bring a bit of flair to the hybrid segment, whose design has long dominated by the boxy lines and sloping roofs of four-door sedans like the Toyota Prius. The two-door CR-Z, by contrast, features a compact profile and roadster look. It also comes with multiple drive modes that allow cycling between sportier or more fuel-efficient drive settings.
"CR-Z is a look into the future of sporty and personal driving," said John Mendel, executive vice president of sales for American Honda.
Unlike other hybrids, CR-Z drivers will be able to cycle between three drive modes: sport, normal and economy. The sport mode enhances the car's performance, while economy mode maximizes fuel economy.
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