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2004 Toyota Alessandro Volta Concept

Toyota unveiled the Alessandro Volta Sports Hybrid concept car in 2004, so where is it? 

First off, who made the rule that hybrid vehicles must exude modesty by flaunting unappealing designs?  Does unpretentiousness equate to lack of taste, or more importantly, can’t I be ostentatious and eco-friendly at the same time?  I think it’s important to remember that you don’t have to renounce all modern social culture in order to be environmentally kind.  Italian designer Fabrizio Giugiaro reminded us of that with his design for the Toyota Alessandro Volta Hybrid in 2004.

The Volta which seats three abreast, was basically a shell design built on Toyota’s ultimate hybrid system, the 2004 Lexus RX 400.  The carbon fiber chassis combines a 3.3-liter V6 gasoline engine located behind the rear axle with two additional electric engines; one on each axle.  The team of motors provides a maximum output of 300 kW (408 bhp), which allows for a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph), while more impressively enabling the car to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 4.03 seconds.  Getting almost 450 miles on a tank of gas, it’s too bad this prototype never materialized as a production vehicle.  

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