Toyota's radical Compact Sports & Specialty Concept

05:00 February 2, 2005 PST

Image Gallery (8 images)

A radical Toyota sports car featuring a hybrid petrol-electric drive-train and a host of innovative interior features was one of the stars of the media day at the 2005 Melbourne International Motor Show. The CS&S (Compact Sports & Specialty) concept was designed to demonstrate the sporting potential of Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive technology, as featured in the second-generation Prius production car. With its midship-mounted next-generation Toyota Hybrid System THS II based on the Hybrid Synergy Drive concept and an E-Four (electric 4-wheel drive) system, the CS&S is designed to provide outstanding environmental performance and driving exhilaration.

In the CS&S a mid-mounted 1.5 litre petrol engine drives the rear wheels while the 50kW high-output motor electric motor drives the front wheels. The arrangement gives the CS&S the extra traction of four wheel drive combined with vigorous acceleration thanks to the high torque characteristics of the electric motor. Four-wheel control provided by the E-Four system and the midship positioning of the hybrid power plant further enhance handling and road-holding performance.

Toyota says the CS&S will accelerate to 100 km/h in 8.6 seconds. Despite the quick performance, the concept car's Hybrid Synergy Drive uses less fuel and has lower exhaust emissions than an equivalent conventionally-engined sports car.

The CS&S's innovations extend to the interior which features a revolutionary human-machine interface called Toyota Space Touch (TST).

The TST system uses a series of holographic projections which the driver "touches" to control functions such as air conditioning, audio, satellite navigation and email.

The car's seating system is flexible, allowing the CS&S to be converted from a two-seater to a 2+2 by the removal of canopies behind the two front seats.

In addition, the front passenger seat has been designed in such a way that it can be rotated to cover the entire cockpit area like a hard tonneau cover, thereby boosting anti-theft security.