Beijing show: Toyota turns out new concepts

TOYOTA has previewed a new budget-oriented global compact car series with the unveiling of sedan and hatchback concepts at the Beijing motor show this week.

The Japanese auto giant also revealed a sleek hybrid sedan concept developed in China for the world’s biggest motor market, as part of a massive display of almost 40 vehicles on its Auto China 2012 stand.

Few details have surfaced with the unveiling of the ‘Dear Qin’ hatch and sedan, with Toyota confirming only that the pair is part of a “global-strategic” program designed to attract more people to the brand at the entry level.

According to the company, ‘Qin’ means ‘dear’ or ‘intimate’ and “represents the wish for these models to become cherished by many”.

The cars are clearly pitched towards a younger audience, with sporting overtones from the heavily sculpted bodywork, big alloy wheels and aggressive front-end design dominated by the large grille area and, on the hatch, prominent lower lip spoiler.

From top: Toyota Dear Qin sedan and Toyota Yundong Shuangqing

The larger Chinese-market ‘Yundong Shuangqing’ sedan concept has a similar sporting theme and design cues, and features a hybrid system developed primarily at the Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing (China) Co research and development centre in Changshu.

‘Yundong’ is drawn from a term in Mandarin Chinese that suggests “movement upon clouds”, while ‘shuangqing’ apparently translates as “dual support” and signifies the two power sources of the vehicle’s petrol-electric hybrid system.

Technical specifications for the hybrid are still to be provided.

In unveiling the Yundong Shuangqing concept in Beijing, Toyota Motor Corporation president Akio Toyoda said: “I want the people of China to be able to experience the beauty of hybrid technology through a hybrid car born in China.”