2009 Tokyo Motor Show – Toyota Sai
TOKYO- TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announces the unveiling today in Japan of the compact luxury sedan Sai, which is planned to go on sale in Japan on December 7.
The Sai is based on a concept derived from the Japanese word sai – which means “talent” and “coloration” – as a hybrid-only sedan “combining advanced talent and multi-color sophistication”.
The Sai, designed with extensive consideration for the environment, features a gasoline-electric hybrid system with a 2.4-liter engine for outstanding fuel efficiency and use of Ecological Plastic (made from plant-derived materials) for approximately 60% of the interior surface area. Its highly efficient package achieves an outstanding balance between maneuverability, comfort, refined sedan styling and aerodynamic performance. Furthermore, in addition to offering advanced features for high-level safety performance, such as a millimeter-wave-radar Pre-crash Safety system, the Sai, among its other attributes, provides cruising performance and riding comfort befitting a luxury vehicle, altogether making it a compact luxury vehicle for a new era that brings together “talent” and “coloration” to enrich customers’ lifestyles.
Vehicle Outline
“Advanced talent”
Outstanding fuel efficiency and environmental performance
The Sai features the Toyota Hybrid System (THS) II combining a 2.4-liter Atkinson cycle combustion engine with an electric motor and a reduction gear. By delaying intake valve closure, the engine achieves a high expansion ratio at low pressure, thus raising heat efficiency.
- Possessing dynamic performance with power to spare, vehicle realizes fuel efficiency of 23.0km/l – on par with 660cc minivehicles – under 10-15 test cycle of Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT); under MLIT’s JC08 test cycle, vehicle has fuel efficiency of 19.8km/l
- Vehicle meets new 2015 Japanese fuel efficiency standards set out under Law Concerning Rational Use of Energy, and CO2 emissions are 75% lower than 2005 standards under MLIT approval system for low-emission vehicles, which is currently strictest standard in Japan for emissions; thus, vehicle qualifies for Japanese government tax reductions and subsidies for environmentally friendly vehicles
Key Hybrid System Specifications
| Engine | Model | 2AZ-FXE |
|---|---|---|
| Displacement | 2,362cc | |
| Maximum output | 110kW (150PS)/6,000rpm | |
| Maximum torque | 187N-m (19.1kgf-m)/4,400rpm | |
| Motor | Maximum output | 105kW (143PS) |
| Maximum torque | 270N-m (27.5kgf-m) | |
| Complete system | Maximum output* | 140kW (190PS) |
| HV battery | Type | Nickel-metal hydride |
*Using both engine power and electric motor power
(based on TMC calculations)
The transaxle is exceptionally small and light, with a compact high-speed motor that achieves increased output and a reduction gear that increases torque.
An exhaust heat recovery system uses exhaust gas to heat the engine, thus shortening engine-warming time and contributing to greatly improved fuel efficiency, especially when outside temperatures are low.
LED headlights conserve electric power and consequently reduce power-generation requirements on the engine.
In addition to Standard Driving Mode, which balances fuel efficiency and power, drivers can also select Eco-Drive Mode, which prioritizes fuel efficiency by moderating driving force relative to accelerator operation and putting the air conditioner into a low energy-consumption mode, and Electric Vehicle (EV) Drive Mode, which uses the electric motor only, resulting in extremely quiet cruising and zero emissions.
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