Carbon Tax Budget
December 11, 2009 at 10:17 am
Did I hear it wrong, but did somebody say on the news this morning that we’re having our “Carbon Tax Budget” today? Not two days after the wounds of Wednesday and here we go again? My initial thought was to prepare for the worst, then I remembered I’m driving a Toyota iQ which is fun to drive, but at the same time kind to the planet. I really don’t have to worry at all. The iQ is built to support the environment. I’ve never come across a car handbook that refers to the Kyoto Protocol before! Toyota are all about reducing greenhouse emissions both from their manufacturing plants and from the cars they design. They’re most famous for the Prius and its excellent fuel efficiency and low impact on the environment. The iQ is a new model aimed at the same type of conscious consumer – but going for people who don’t need ‘family wagons’ and are a little more discerning about style.
What makes the iQ so green?
Exterior Design - it’s designed to be light, there’s less metal involved. The torsion beam was reduced in weight by 3.5kg. By adopting ‘cross shaped’ rear wheel flange, another kilo of metal was saved. Perhaps most impressive is the exhaust system that weighs only 6kg. What less weight means is less pressure on the engine to pull the vehicle and therefore using less fuel. I’m filling it up for €28 – €30.
Interior Design - this is where they really went to town. Most cars have a massive heating / air system in the front, between the driver and passenger seat. It takes up a lot of room and harks back to an era when cars were huge beasts (and men dressed like Don Draper in Madmen!). Toyota’s engineers completely rethought the heating system and have placed it in the floor of the iQ.
In our search for space, we developed an ultra-compact air-conditioning unit and repositioned the heater blower unit normally found in the front passenger foot well, to the centre of the instrument panel. Designers went so far as to make the glove box detachable….[Hiroki Nakajima, Chief Engineer of the iQ]
Now I’m not quite down with Hiroki’s detachable glove box – it’s more like fabric folder that a particularly preppy college student would have carried in the 1980’s. It can hold a driving license, a map, an iPod… try stuffing anything into it in a hurry and its press button detaches and it falls to the floor.
While the size of the iQ is A class (smallest of the small), the interior is C class (executive saloon luxury style). And the designers introduced many other innovations designed to enhance the comfort of the driver. An example that jumps to mind are the thinner doors; with no compromise on safety, the space saved gives the driver and passenger more shoulder room.
6 Major Space-Saving Innovations (coming soon to other Toyota models)
- Front-mounted differential
- Centre take-off steering gear
- Flat under-floor fuel tank
- Ultra-slim seat design
- Ultra-compact heater/air conditioning unit
- Asymmetric dashboard design
Car Scrappage Scheme
Car-wise, there were a couple of things announced in Wednesday’s Budget – the hike in petrol/diesel prices (no surprises there) and the car scrappage scheme (which had been leaked to the press and lobbied hard for by the motor industry). I’m no motoring expert, but it just doesn’t seem to stack up to be that attractive. If you own a car that’s more than 10 years old, you can get €1500 of vehicle registration tax relief if you’re buying a new car. It must be certain types of new car – like a nice little planet saver like the iQ. But really – if you’re already driving around a 10+ year old car, you’re not going to be in the market for a brand new car anyway – you’re far more likely to be going for a good second hander.
If I’m missing something that more motoring focused people ‘get’ here, please point it out to me below!
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