Merry Christmas, and a happy New Year

Just a brief message to wish all of Tarmac's readers a great Christmas and as I'm unlikely to post again before January, a happy and productive new year.

Next year, I hope to offer you more regular posting, more discussion on cheap motoring and ecological and environmental motoring issues, many more motoring show reports, and even (if all goes well) the occasional relevant road tests.

I leave you in 2008 with one of my favourite static photographs of the year, and the closest I could get to an automotive Christmas tree...

Photograph ©Tarmac 2008

Toyota iQ sports car on the way?

Intriguing rumours brought via Carscoop and Auto Motor und Sport today - that of apparent Toyota plans to show a concept study of a roadster based on the iQ city car at the Tokyo Motor Show around this time next year.


Image: Auto Motor und Sport
Early news indeed, so as of yet it's best to take the information with a pinch of salt, but it's promising nonetheless. The car would be perfectly placed to take up the gap in the market left after the tiny Smart Roadster departed and would prove a competitive rival to the Daihatsu Copen, the only other tiny sports car on the market at the moment.

Like the Copen, the iQ "Spider", as it's likely to be called, would be front-wheel drive, using the 1.0l and 1.3l engines and powertrain of the city car. This also means the car could potentially use the 1.4l diesel pencilled in for the regular iQ.

The regular iQ is due on sale January 2009 from around £10,000.


Image: ©Tarmac 2008