Toyota concept vehicles (2000–2009)

Toyota concept vehicles are transportation devices manufactured or designed by automobile company Toyota from 2000 to 2009. As their name suggests, these vehicles were concepts, and, as such, many were never released to dealerships. Many were developed in conjunction with other corporations such as Sony or Subaru.

Yaris Cabrio Concept (2000)

The Yaris Cabrio Concept was a two-door convertible presented at the March 2000 Geneva Motor Show. The Yaris Cabrio featured a fabric roof. It never reached the production stage.

Celica Ultimate Concept (2000)

The Toyota Celica Ultimate Concept was introduced in 2000. The project was a collaboration between Toyota and Rod Millen Motorsports. The Ultimate Concept uses the body from a seventh generation Celica GT-S, but the powertrain and all-wheel drive system from a prior generation Celica GT-Four. The turbocharged inline-four engine from the GT-Four was modified to produce at 8,000 rpm and of torque at 5,500 rpm. During testing, Millen was reportedly able to achieve a time of 4.9 seconds, a time of 6.7 seconds, and a time of 13.3 seconds at. Millen says these figures were limited by turbo lag and the 5-speed manual transmission from the donor car. The concept also features redesigned front and rear suspension, upgraded brakes, and a fuel cell in the trunk. Most of the stock interior from the seventh-generation Celica was kept, with modifications such as an integrated and mostly hidden roll cage, Recaro seats with racing harnesses, no rear seats, and a race-style LED tachometer to keep up with the faster revving engine. The exterior of the car has also been restyled with a new body kit, hood, spoiler and wheels.

ES³ (2001)

The Toyota ES³ was a concept car made by Toyota in 2001. It was designed to use parts made from bioplastics. The ES³ was not made into a production vehicle but the technology was used in the Raum in 2003 under the name of Toyota Eco-Plastic.

Pod (2001)

The Toyota Pod was a concept car created by Toyota in collaboration with Sony. The Pod was first shown at the October 2001 Tokyo Motor Show. The Pod was unique as it was designed with artificial intelligence systems built in to make the car appear more personal.
The Pod was much like a living being due to the artificial intelligence programmed into it. It featured a screen inside with Sony-created software running on it, capable of creating shopping lists and running music and radio. The car could also judge the attitude and mood of the driver based on their reactions and how they are driving, and could offer advice on how to improve their current mood. The seats inside are like stools which could freely spin and rotate. On the exterior, the Pod could express its own feelings with coloured LEDs - red for anger, yellow for happy, blue for sad - and an antenna that wags, much like a dog's tail. The Pod was designed as a "car of the future" and hence was never put into production.
The Pod was featured in the game Gran Turismo Concept and had an exclusive race to itself. A new track - using segments from the Clubman Stage Route 5 course - was created which involved 6 Pods driving through the pitlane backwards before stopping in a special area for several seconds before being allowed to resume racing.

DMT (2001)

The Toyota DMT was a concept van made by Toyota and first shown at the October 2001 Tokyo Motor Show. The van had a high mounted driving position and a rear cabin designed to be useful as an office or studio.

FXS (2001)

The Toyota FXS was a concept car made by Toyota and first shown at the October 2001 Tokyo Motor Show, and later at the March 2002 Geneva Motor Show. Based on the Soarer, the coupe was powered by a 4.3 L 3UZ-FE V8 engine using a 6-speed sequential manual gearbox.

RSC (2001)

The Toyota RSC was a Toyota two-door SUV concept car that was first shown at the February 2001 Chicago Auto Show.
The RSC was designed by Calty as a 'pure concept vehicle', with no intention to go into production but to 'connect emotionally with young buyers'. Design cues came from rally cars used in the World Rally Championships, with functional lines, a lack of luxury features and 'designed to convey the sparse, functional simplicity of a race car'. The RSC was based on the RAV4.
The RSC was never made into a production vehicle.

FCHV-3 (2001)

The FCHV-3 was powered by a 90 kW fuel cell, more than four times the power of the FCHV-1, and had a top speed of and a range of. It was developed on the body of a Toyota Highlander.

FCHV-4 (2001)

The FCHV-4 was the fourth vehicle built by Toyota in its Fuel Cell Vehicle program. It was the first model to be approved for public road testing in Japan, and road tests continued until 2004. Through leasing programs in the US and Japan, it was the first to be commercialised. Like the FCHV-3, it was based on the Highlander.

FCHV-5 (2001)

The Clean Hydrocarbon Fuel reformer of the FCHV-5 was equipped with a newly developed catalyst and heat exchanger to improve acceleration and fuel economy. Like the FCHV-3 and FCHV-4, it was based on the Highlander.

Project Go (2002)

The Toyota Project Go is a concept race car made by Toyota, and shown at the 2002 Sydney Motor Show.

Matrix Sport (2002)

The Toyota Matrix Sport is a sport wagon made by Toyota in 2002. The concept is based on the first generation Matrix.

UUV (2002)

The UUV is a concept car made by Toyota, and shown at the 2002 Geneva Motor Show, and later the Swiss Motor Show. UUV stands for Urban Utility Vehicle. Toyota used a feature called Glass Vision, which is a full-width, dash mounted screen which offers entertainment and navigational functions to both driver and passenger.

MR2 Street Affair (2002)

The Toyota MR2 Street Affair was a Toyota concept sports car based on the MR2 that was designed by Toyota Germany.
A turbocharger was added to the engine to lift power from 100 kW to 193 kW. The body was made from fibreglass, with carbon fibre panels and numerous air scoops leading to the engine bay. The front took style cues from Toyota's Formula 1 car, having a pointed nose and a front wing close to the ground with Formula 1 style wing-lets in front of semi-exposed tyres. The rear mirror was replaced with a camera.

ccX (2002)

The Toyota ccX was introduced at the 2002 North American International Auto Show. The ccX combines the styling of a sporty coupe with the cargo capability of a light-duty SUV. Designed in Japan and built in Italy, ccX features strong sweeping lines, sharp surface edges, a tall sloping roofline, rounded front and rear contours, two large power sunroofs, and a vertical glass rear panel, that can be retracted into the bumper. Inside, ccX features a metal-and-rubber waterproof floor that includes four drain plugs for easy cleaning and see-through bucket seats, as well as mesh netting that can comfortably accommodate four passengers. A blue instrument cluster is mounted in the center of the dash for reduced driver fatigue and better visibility, and a seven-inch multi-display monitor displays DVD, navigation, and audio functions. Powering the front-wheel-drive ccX is a 2.4-liter DOHC four-cylinder engine that is linked to a four-speed automatic transmission.
It was also shown in 2003 as the Scion ccX.

SU-HV1 (2003)

The Toyota SU-HV1 is a concept car made by Toyota, and shown at the 2003 Tokyo Motor Show. It entered production as the Lexus RX. The SU-HV1 features an SUV-optimized Hybrid Synergy Drive and E-Four. The hybrid system power unit comprises a 3.3-liter V6 gasoline engine together with a 120 kW motor. The concept includes VDM and Electronically Controlled Brake System.

Land Cruiser FJ45 Concept (2003)

The Toyota Land Cruiser FJ45 is a concept vehicle made in 2003 by the Rod Miller group for Toyota Motor Sales USA. An original 1967 FJ45 Land Cruiser wagon body was widened to fit onto a Land Cruiser 100 chassis and drive train. The 4.7-L V8 engine was set back to fit the engine bay. A custom independent rear suspension was made and the front suspension was modified for increased travel.

CS&S (2003)

The Toyota CS&S is a four-wheel drive, mid-engine sports car concept made by Toyota and displayed in 2003. It utilizes a hybrid system combining electric motors to drive the front wheels, and a combination of a petrol engine and electric motors powering the rear. It is the first Toyota vehicle to have the feature Toyota Space Touch, a system in which the driver "touches" holographic projections to control other systems inside the car.

PM (2003)

The Toyota PM is a single seat concept vehicle built by Toyota around the idea of personal mobility. Multiple vehicles can communicate with each other to encourage "meeting, linking and hanging out together". It was shown at the October 2003 Tokyo Motor Show.

NLSV (2003)

The Toyota NLSV is a concept vehicle built by Toyota and first shown at the October 2003 Tokyo Motor Show. It had a high roof, a low, flat floor and the door slid back on rails so that even disabled passengers could enter. The front passenger seat could be folded up and slid forward under the dash to make even more room for wheel chairs or cargo.
It entered production as the Toyota Porte.

X Runner (2003)

The Toyota X Runner is a four-wheel drive coupé utility concept vehicle designed and built by Toyota Australia in 2003.
The X-Runner was based on the Avalon, using the Avalon's front cabin, front sheet metal and mechanicals. The Avalon's chassis was stretched by 150 mm just before the rear wheels. The 1MZ-FE engine was upgraded with a TRD supercharger. Transmission is by a version of the viscous coupled four-wheel-drive system used in the Lexus RX300. The front suspension kept the MacPherson struts from the Avalon with upgraded brakes and 19" wheels. The rear axle and suspension was modified from the Tarago 4WD van.