There's no avoiding the Poland launch of the Toyota iQ (pron. 'Ick'). I'm in two minds about it. On the one hand, an urban car that does 54 mpg around town and 70 mpg on longer runs, that parks into the smallest spaces, being a full 33 inches shorter than the Yaris, and yet is sold as a premium model (alloy wheels, leather trim, aircon) - yes, this is the trend of the future. On the other hand, there's Eddie's first reaction - "It's a wheelchair."
Toyota's marketing people deserve five stars for effort. The picture top is an inflatable billboard on the corner of ul Puławska and ul. Karczunkowska. I get home and there's a brochure waiting in the mailbox.
And an SMS too. As a Toyota customer, they know where I live. As yet, no clue about the price. I hear it will be around 54,000 zlotys, the equivalent of two Nissan Micras (sale price for 2008 models). OK, so it sips petrol, but I'd have to drive it for 99 years before making the money back. Anyway, until my 16 year-old Micra packs up, I'm happy with our two-car fleet as it is. But... I'm sufficiently intrigued to visit the dealer.
UPDATE: The very next day, after the shopping, I popped by the local Toyota dealer. Very nice, the iQ. Doors close with a solid thunk, the car exudes a quality feel. Lots of nice little touches; the in-car entertainment system is entirely driven from the steering wheel, with only a slot on the dashboard for the CD. A port for MP3 players is next to the handbrake. There's room for two small people in the back, though zero baggage space. Leave children at home for that trip to the supermarket because the rear seats need to be folded flat to hold anything bigger than a newspaper. Yet these days, rarely is either of our cars required to transport more than two people.
But those prices... 54,300 zlotys (around 11,500 quid) is a vast amount. This is for the basic version. The posher trim level costs 4,500 zlots more - for which you get the dubious benefits of keyless opening (what happens when the battery fails?), polished alloys (as opposed to unpolished ones), electrically folding mirrors, automatic rain sensor. The only thing useful in this trim pack is front fog lights. An automatic gearbox adds another 4,900 zlotys, so if you want an auto box and top trim, you'll have to fork out 13,500 quid - an absurd price to pay. I'd be very interested to see how the iQ sells in Poland. It will do, but only if the idea that showing off around town in a car is not limited to new sports cars, SUVs or limos, can spread into the consciousness of Warsaw's nouveau riches. The new Mini has done just that, a great example that small cars can have prestige. But then the new Mini has the heritage and cache of the old Mini (rally victories, Swinging Sixties London) behind it, whereas the Toyota has what - the 1960s/70s/80s/90s Corollas?
UPDATE: The very next day, after the shopping, I popped by the local Toyota dealer. Very nice, the iQ. Doors close with a solid thunk, the car exudes a quality feel. Lots of nice little touches; the in-car entertainment system is entirely driven from the steering wheel, with only a slot on the dashboard for the CD. A port for MP3 players is next to the handbrake. There's room for two small people in the back, though zero baggage space. Leave children at home for that trip to the supermarket because the rear seats need to be folded flat to hold anything bigger than a newspaper. Yet these days, rarely is either of our cars required to transport more than two people.
But those prices... 54,300 zlotys (around 11,500 quid) is a vast amount. This is for the basic version. The posher trim level costs 4,500 zlots more - for which you get the dubious benefits of keyless opening (what happens when the battery fails?), polished alloys (as opposed to unpolished ones), electrically folding mirrors, automatic rain sensor. The only thing useful in this trim pack is front fog lights. An automatic gearbox adds another 4,900 zlotys, so if you want an auto box and top trim, you'll have to fork out 13,500 quid - an absurd price to pay. I'd be very interested to see how the iQ sells in Poland. It will do, but only if the idea that showing off around town in a car is not limited to new sports cars, SUVs or limos, can spread into the consciousness of Warsaw's nouveau riches. The new Mini has done just that, a great example that small cars can have prestige. But then the new Mini has the heritage and cache of the old Mini (rally victories, Swinging Sixties London) behind it, whereas the Toyota has what - the 1960s/70s/80s/90s Corollas?
This time last year:
maybe the marketing department deserves commendation, but I'd feel hem in after getting invitations to visit the dealer by mail and SMS - the ad on the corner of Pulawska which I saw today is quite practical - on Monday they'll probably let the air out and take it away, I wonder why wasn't it put next to Chodzen's headquarters... The idea of vericle appears to be similar to Smart - I guess by dint of the prohobitive price it won't gain popularity
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