The Toyota FT-Bhconcept made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show and comes with some insight into Toyota’s future hybrid technology. The Toyota FT-Bh concept is an ultra-light full hybrid vehicle and is aiming at some impressive efficiency figures in the family supermini segment.

Toyota FT-Bh concept is a light runner

The target weight for the GT-Bh concept was 25% less than the 1.0 litre Toyota Yaris which weighs in at 1030kg. To achieve this, the Toyota FT-Bh concept uses a combination of high-tensile steel, aluminum and magnesium which has resulted in a weight of just 786kg. Other components could be downsized as a result of this weight reduction as there was less load on the body structure and suspension.

Powering this ultra-efficient concept car is a 1.0 litre 2-cylinder Atkinson cycle petrol engine that produces high efficiency and low thermal capacity. As a result the FT-Bh concept’s fuel economy clocks in at just 2.1 litres/100km and it has a CO2 emissions rating of 49 g/km.

Another factor Toyota addressed to increase the efficiency of the concept was to ensure it had the lowest driving resistance possible. To this end the aerodynamic properties had to be as advanced as possible. It has air curtain intakes on the front extremities of the bodywork, it has air-stream alloy wheels, there are no door mirrors but cameras instead, there are no door handles just latches as well as having the body designed as aerodynamically as possible.

Lastly the Toyota FT-Bh concept incorporated new improvements in thermal energy recovery. To do this, the aircon now only focuses on areas of the car where people are sitting and the amount of electricity used by the LED headlamps, the interior lighting and other electrical components have been reduced drastically. There are a number of other areas as well where the designers have ensured maximum efficiency, even to the point of selecting a matt paint based on its excellent heat insulation characteristics.