Toyota has launched its new compact sedan, Belta, in Japan. The Belta is now Toyota's smallest sedan. The Belta delivers fuel efficiency under the Japanese test cycle of 4.6L/100km (51mpg US) with a 1.0 litre engine or 5.1L/100km (46mpg US) with a 1.3 litre engine, both gasoline-fueled. Both engines use Toyota's VVT-i (Variable Valve Timing with Intelligence) system, and are coupled with Toyota's Super CVT-i (Continuously Variable Transmission with Intelligence) in the front-wheel drive models. Toyota is also offering a four-wheel drive version. All front wheel-drive vehicles in the series achieve emission levels 75% lower than the 2005 standards under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport;s Approval System for Low-Emission Vehicles. The fuel consumption levels exceed by 5% the Japanese 2010 fuel efficiency standards, thus qualifying for incentives under the Japanese government's Green Taxation System. Toyota applied is Eco-VAS (Eco-Vehicle Assessment System) - Toyota's original comprehensive environmental impact assessment system - to the Belta to reduce overall environmental impact, from initial development to disposal, throughout the entire lifecycle of the vehicle. The company has set a monthly sales target of 3,000 units for the Belta, and is considering exporting as well to meet a growing demand for fuel efficient cars. Source: Green Car Congress
Here are some better pics of the Belta. The link in the 1st post doesn't do it justice. Any word of when this is hitting US shores?
[Broken External Image]:http://response.jp/issue/2005/1128/article76890_1.images/101507.jpg Welcome to Toyota of ____ (fill in the blank), here's our newest model, Belta Belta Belta!
It's being introduced in either LA or Detroit in January at the car shows and will be for sale in the spring along with the 3 door Yaris. Toyota has a real winner here. The fact that the US version will use the indestructable 1.5l 1NZ-FE engine will make this a long-term car for a lot of people. Nice to see Toyota finally get the design right at this end of the market.
Jerry, This is great but here is a tough qouestion? Belta or Prius? for every day commuting? I am sure there will be a great price difference between the two
Careful when you list the Belta's mileage as 51 MPG... that is NOT an EPA mileage rating. The Belta gets 51 MPG on the Japanese test cycle when you convert to MPG units, which seems to be much more forgiving than even the EPA test. In comparison, the Prius gets something like 85 MPG on the Japanese cycle. This is not "economy of a hybrid, at rock bottom prices." If anything, this thing should have about the fuel economy about the same as a Toyota Corolla in the 40s... (i wouldn't be surprised if this is the next generation Corolla here in the states).
I see they still gave it a bad interior though. I hate center-mounted gauges with just empty space on the driver's side... it's cheap but irritating. Otherwise, the car seems good... but its mileage will probably be in the 30s real-world.
It won't be the Corolla. There already is a Corolla, however spyshots of the 08 Corolla do seem to have the rather large headlights at the front.
