The FT-Me, possibly one of the most adorable Toyota vehicles to date, is finally headed for production. Originally just a concept car when it debuted in March of this year, it might just be seen on public roads in the future.
Specifications for this little EV are those of a top speed of 45 km/h as limited by quadricycle laws, at least in some countries, and a range of 100 km. Standing at barely 2.5 meters long, this micro-EV is meant for tight, narrow spaces.
“Cities are already in the process of redesigning to reduce the space for cars and create more space for micromobility,” says Stijn Peeters, Head of New Mobility Planning and Development at Toyota Motor Europe (TME).
Taking inspiration from the mobility success of their Japanese colleagues at the 2021 Tokyo Games and using their own Accessible People Mover (APM) from the 2024 Olympics in Paris as a base, TME aims to make this little EV accessible to a wide range of users, especially today’s youth. “We need to create a super-funky car that might work for teenagers, but we need everyone to be attracted to this little gem,” said Peeters. Thanks to its quadricycle status, depending on the country, those as young as 14 may be able to drive this little vehicle.
So far, this concept is gaining a lot of traction. So much traction that the British government will support the funding to bring this microcar to production, with Toyota Manufacturing UK taking the helm of production in Derby, according to Auto Express. The FT-Me is intended to be a showroom-ready alternative to the likes of the Citroën Ami, though it seems as of now, production numbers are going to be limited.
Given the Philippine automotive market’s push toward electric vehicles, where could this cute little car find its place? Granted, the Philippines has a vastly different landscape compared to France, so it might not fit everywhere, but one possibility for this little bugger is short-distance travel in highly urban areas like Makati or BGC.
