FT-CH Hatchback: Toyota Announces New Line of Eco-Friendly Cars

Toyota Motor Corp. announced a small hybrid car may be the first of a new U.S. lineup of the eco-friendly cars. The compact FT-CH hatchback was unveiled on Monday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The CH stands for compact hybrid as in compact class and it’s a concept that can best be defined by comparing it with the mid-size class Prius. According to Toyota execs the new model is 22 inches shorter than its Prius predecessor.

The FT-CH is a concept that would address Toyota’s stated strategy to offer a wider variety of conventional hybrid choices to its customers, as it begins to introduce plug-in hybrids (PHVs) and battery electrics (BEVs) in model year 2012, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCHVs) in 2015 in global markets.