"I
don't want you to think of this car just as an eco-car," Toyota
President Akio Toyoda said. "It's a car that's also fun to drive."
Japan -- Toyota Motor Corp.'s new hydrogen fuel cell vehicle broke
cover at a Japan rally race this weekend with speed demon Akio Toyoda
behind the wheel to prove that the green car is also a mean one.
The car crazy president of Toyota took the blue and white
race-striped sedan, which will be officially launched in Japan Nov. 18,
for its first public spin at the All-Japan Rally Championship in the
mountains of central Japan.
While the car -- named FCV for now -- didn't compete, Toyoda drove it as a pace car on two laps while another pro racer showed off the car's street cred with a mud-spraying donut-doing demo drive.
"I'm happy we could show everyone the fuel-cell vehicle before the official press conference," Toyoda said. "I think [the car] is off to a great start."
The exploits aim to show that the environmentally friendly car, whose only emission is water vapor, also has an emotional pulse on par with its gasoline-slurping brethren.
In so doing, they painted the green car brown with splattered mud.
"I don't want you to think of this car just as an eco-car. It's a car that's also fun to drive," said Toyoda, who competed separately in the rally driving a Toyota 86, the sporty coupe sold as the Scion FR-S in the U.S.
The fuel-cell vehicle, which may be named the Mirai -- the Japanese word for future -- in the Japan market at least, goes on sale in the United States in the middle of next year.
The fuel cell vehicle goes on sale in the United States in the middle of next year.
While the car -- named FCV for now -- didn't compete, Toyoda drove it as a pace car on two laps while another pro racer showed off the car's street cred with a mud-spraying donut-doing demo drive.
"I'm happy we could show everyone the fuel-cell vehicle before the official press conference," Toyoda said. "I think [the car] is off to a great start."
The exploits aim to show that the environmentally friendly car, whose only emission is water vapor, also has an emotional pulse on par with its gasoline-slurping brethren.
In so doing, they painted the green car brown with splattered mud.
"I don't want you to think of this car just as an eco-car. It's a car that's also fun to drive," said Toyoda, who competed separately in the rally driving a Toyota 86, the sporty coupe sold as the Scion FR-S in the U.S.
The fuel-cell vehicle, which may be named the Mirai -- the Japanese word for future -- in the Japan market at least, goes on sale in the United States in the middle of next year.
The fuel cell vehicle goes on sale in the United States in the middle of next year.
Toyoda, a trained race car driver who is known for obsessing over
driving dynamics and design, raved about the hydrogen car's handling.
"To sum it in one word, it was awesome," Toyoda said. "It responds very well. You have complete control over braking and steering. The initial acceleration really feels good."
Instead of burning gasoline, the car runs hydrogen through a chemical process that creates electricity to power the wheels. The "exhaust" is water vapor, instead of carbon dioxide. And because it has an electric motor instead of a noisy gasoline engine, the vehicle starts off with a silent purr.
That quietude can even contribute to the fuel cell vehicle's environment-friendly feel, Toyoda said.
"When it's quiet, the scenery seems different," he said. "You are more united with nature. It's a different kind if driving."
"To sum it in one word, it was awesome," Toyoda said. "It responds very well. You have complete control over braking and steering. The initial acceleration really feels good."
Instead of burning gasoline, the car runs hydrogen through a chemical process that creates electricity to power the wheels. The "exhaust" is water vapor, instead of carbon dioxide. And because it has an electric motor instead of a noisy gasoline engine, the vehicle starts off with a silent purr.
That quietude can even contribute to the fuel cell vehicle's environment-friendly feel, Toyoda said.
"When it's quiet, the scenery seems different," he said. "You are more united with nature. It's a different kind if driving."
