Build by Toyota motorsports partner Gazoo Racing, the GRMN iQ Supercharger is just the sort of concept car that’s too wild to ever become a reality. Right? Wrong!

To the surprise of, well, everyone, Toyota has announced it will offer a limited production of the car, which was unveiled in its second-generation prototype stage today at the Tokyo Auto Salon.

Based on the 1.3-liter version of the iQ (it’s largest engine option), GRMN engineers have strapped on a supercharger to increase power output from a factory 94 hp, up to 130 hp, while torque increases from 89 lb-ft to 133.

Additional upgrades include the widebody seen here, an upgraded suspension and brake setup, larger 16-inch wheels with 195/55R16 tires and a close-ratio 6-speed manual transmission – much unlike the CVT offered on the North American Scion iQ (read our review here).

Inside the car gets custom sports seats and new gauges that go all the way up to 200 km/h (124 mph), a speed the standard car most certainly cannot achieve.

Set to go on sale this summer, the GRMN iQ Supercharger will be built in extremely limited quantities with just 100 cars being made.

GALLERY: GRMN iQ Supercharger

See AutoGuide’s complete 2012 Tokyo Auto Salon Coverage Here

It might sound like an oxymoron to hear Toyota iQ City Racer, with its 1.3L VVT-i engine pumping out the ever-so massive 98-hp. But that’s not going to stop Toyota from releasing a limited edition iQ aimed at the French market with some sporty aesthetic modifications.

Only 300 units of the iQ City Racer will be produced with several color choices to choose from: Orange Tabasco, Red, Pearl White or Gray Aluminum. To give it the good ‘ol race-inspired look, contrasting racing stripes are added on the vehicle along with new mirror covers, a rear skirt with a black chrome exhaust tip, tinted windows, some imitation carbon fiber elements, City Racer graphics and 16-inch black wheels.

The limited edition City Racer will be available at €19,950 – about $26,000 based on today’s conversion rates – which might sound steep, but considering a Subway footlong is €5 in France rather than $5, we’re assuming it’s a fair price to ask out there in Europe.

GALLERY: Toyota iQ Racer

[Source: Topspeed]

Toyota‘s miniature city car, known to us as the Scion iQ, is clearly a budget-friendly subcompact but who is to say that you can’t have a little fun and comfort while driving it? After Vilner transformed the Smart ForTwo they set their eyes on the next city car project this time keeping the modifications strictly in the interior. Looking to add luxury with the iQ’s eco-friendliness, Vilner fills the interior with brown Napa leather and Alcantara throughout.

Vilner claims their iQ’s interior brings it “close to the interiors of highest class luxurious cars,” but we’ll leave that up to your judgment. The seats are completely reupholstered in brown Nappa leather, including the letters “iQ” on the headrests and an interesting rectangular-pattern throughout the rest of the seat. The entire ceiling and pillars get redone with brown Alcantara while designer and laser-engraved elements are placed on some elements throughout the interior.

GALLERY: Vilner Scion iQ

The Aston Martin Cygnet might seem like anathema to everything the company stands for, but Aston Martin is hoping that the Cygnet will become the number two seller for the brand.

With a projection of 1,500 units sold per year, the Cygnet would trail the Vantage as Aston’s stop selling model. Aston sold a total of 4,250 cars in 2010.

The Cygnet is based on the Toyota iQ city car, and Aston Martin is marketing the car not based on performance, but on luxury. ”Prior to Cygnet your choice was, you open the door and it smells of plastic; now you open the door, and you’ll be hit by this wonderful smell of leather,” Chief designer Marek Reichman told Automotive News.

[Source: Automotive News]

As we anticipate the launch of the Scion iQ here in North America, parent company Toyota is preparing to introduction an all electric version of the mini-car in Europe.

Set to debut at the Geneva Auto Show in March, the car uses a lithium-ion battery located under the floor. As a result it doesn’t take up any passenger space and with all the weight down-low, it also improves the car’s center of gravity.

The car’s range is set at 65 miles and a leasing program is set to begin in Europe in 2012. A similar program will then be launched in the U.S.

The Toyota iQ EV will debut alongside the FT-86 Concept II, the Yaris hybrid and the Prius+ in Geneva.

Get more Toyota/Scion iQ news and info at iQ-Forums.com

Toyota‘s iQ microcar will get a fully electric version in 2011, the Japanese automaker has confirmed. The iQ will come as part of a plan to launch 11 hybrid or electric vehicles by 2012, including a hybrid version of the Yaris hatchback, a plug-in version of the Prius Hybrid and a Prius-based minivan.

In a statement released by the firm, Toyota stated that “improving the efficiency of its internal combustion engines, which account for the majority of sales, while raising performance, reducing costs and expanding the range available”. The company is also investigating new battery technologies that will bring big advances in performance that will be needed for electric cars to succeed in the mass market”.

[Source: AutoExpress]

Aston Martin‘s Cygnet minicar will come to the United States sometime in 2012 according to Automotive News. The Cygnet will reportedly cost $35,000 despite minimal changes from the Toyota iQ it’s based on.

The Cygnet is a risky move for Aston Martin; a product like this is conceivably a good idea in places like London, where a congestion charge applies to most vehicles driving in the downtown core, or in traffic-ridden locales like Manhattan, Miami or Los Angeles. Outside of these small niches, it’s hard to imagine who would buy a Cygnet for any reason at all.

[Source: Automotive News]

Day 4 Of the MINI Takes The States Tour was an exciting one for me, as I was able to sample the all-new MINI Countryman before nearly anyone else.  Saturday’s epic blast through two states left me exhausted, and I was expecting the Countryman to be a little more laid back than the Clubman S I drove yesterday. I was wrong. Don’t think of the Countryman as a MINI SUV, but as a MINI Cooper S for people with obligations.

Hit the jump to read more about the MINI Countryman

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With markets like China, Brazil, India and former Soviet bloc countries becoming more prosperous, the demand for a low cost, bare bones car for the sake of personal transportation. Tata’s Nano, Renault’s Logan and all manner of Chinese upstart brands have been filling the void in these up and coming locales, and now Toyota wants a piece of the action.

Toyota is apparently looking at producing a car to slot underneath the Yaris, which would retail for under 1 million yen, or $11,500. This car will be targeted at China and Southeast Asia in particular, with the aforementioned markets getting their own cars suited to local tastes. Toyota’s first emerging market car, the Etios, will be launched in India in late 2010, and future cars made for emerging markets will follow practices used by the Etios, like local assembly, which should cut costs dramatically.

[Source: Reuters]

***See AutoGuide’s LIVE 2010 Detroit Auto Show Coverage Here***

The pieces of puzzle are starting to come together and it looks like Toyota is planning on launching a hybrid version of the iQ mini-car in North America, branded as a Scion. According to a report by InsideLine, the a concept version of this car is the “dedicated hybrid concept” that Toyota will unveil at the Detroit Auto Show next week.

The iQ Hybrid will be offered as both a five-door hatchback and as a sedan, with the hatch going on sale in 2011. Impressively, it will get over 60 mpg thanks to a 1.5-liter engine used as a part of Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy drive.

In addition, the 3-door, currently sold in Europe and Japan will also be branded as a Scion in North America. The Smart fortwo-sized hatch will be powered by a 99-hp 1.3-liter 4-cylinder and be offered as a convertible as well. With the hybrid and non-hybrid versions, this will essentially add four new models to Scion’s product lineup.

Scion unveiled a concept version of the iQ at the New York Auto Show last year. See more of that car in the Gallery below.

GALLERY: Toyota iQ

GALLERY: Scion iQ Concept

[Source : InsideLine]