Big ideas
* News from Detroit motor show * New metal from outside US * Read our show review...
The big ideas came from outside the US. One of the most interesting was the Toyota FT-CH, a study for a possible baby Prius. Toyota admits it wants to extend the Prius family and has plans for eight new hybrids to push annual production of them up to a million a year. The FT-CH has a good chance of being included.
The Germans were out in force, as usual. BMW had three new offerings a high-performance Z4 roadster badged sDrive 35i, an electric 1 Series that will soon start trials using the powertrain already on test in the battery-powered Mini, and the Mini Beachcomber concept, a reinvention of the Mini Moke and Citron Mehari that were available as holiday hire cars in just about every Mediterranean resort in the 1970s.
Best estate cars 2024 – the top choices for luggage capacity
An estate car needs to be practical, but the best models are also comfortable, well equipped and affordable to run. Here we reveal our top 10 buys – and the estates to steer clear of