Toyota C+pod

Toyota previewed it as the Ultra-Compact BEV, a concept at the Tokyo Motor Show in October 2019.source 1source 2 Japanese Wikipedia names the designer as Takehiro Tanaka.source 2 The production car, the C+pod, was launched on 25 December 2020, at first only for corporate users, local governments and other organisations, and Toyota counted more than 200 such partners at the launch.source 3source 1source 2 It came with Toyota Green Charge electricity plans from Chubu Electric Power Miraiz, Kansai Electric and TEPCO Energy Partner, and could be shared through Toyota Share.source 3 Toyota planned two more kinds of ultra-compact vehicle beside it, one ridden standing and one linked to a wheelchair.source 3

It is an electric microcar, but not quite a kei car. English Wikipedia calls it one, but Toyota and Japanese Wikipedia class it as a type-designated vehicle under the rules for ultra-compact mobility; it simply fits within kei dimensions.source 1source 3source 2 Two seats sit side by side in a cabin 1,100 mm (43 in) wide, behind resin outer panels, and the motor is at the back, driving the rear wheels.source 3source 4 Overall it measures 2,490 by 1,290 mm (51 in) and stands 1,550 mm (61 in) tall; it weighs 670 kg (1,477 lb) as the X or 690 kg as the higher G grade.source 3source 2source 4

Small car, big-car safety

Its 9.06 kWh battery gives 150 km (93 miles) on Japan’s WLTC test, and the motor 9.2 kW (12.5 PS) at most and 56 Nm. It charges in about five hours at 200 V, or about 16 at 100 V.source 3source 2 What set it apart was the equipment. The body was built to spread the force of an impact from the front, side or rear, and the C+pod had Toyota’s Pre-collision Safety System, which looks out for pedestrians and cyclists, sonar with a brake to help when parking, and LED headlamps. A 1,500 W household socket was standard.source 3 It cost ¥1,650,000 as the X and ¥1,716,000 as the G, with tax.source 3source 4 auto motor und sport greeted it as an electric rival to the Smart for Japan, and praised its stiff, light plastic body as suited to narrow city centres.source 4

Open to all, then gone

On 23 December 2021 Toyota opened the C+pod to all customers, private people included, but still by lease: it was never sold outright, only leased through Toyota dealers and Toyota Rentals.source 1source 2 Japanese Wikipedia lists some of its work: home medical visits and publicity for the council of Toyota City, a relief car at Hanshin Koshien Stadium, the baseball ground, from 2022, and car-sharing in Japan and on Bali.source 2 English Wikipedia had reported that it would be dropped in the second quarter of 2024.source 1 Production ended on 19 July 2024 and sales on 9 August.source 2 Toyota’s explanation was brief.

No count of C+pods built has been found, and no club or auction result has been found. Because every car was leased, most are likely to have gone back to Toyota, though no source says what became of them.