2007 Geneva Auto Show - Toyota Hybrid X Concept

GENEVA — Earlier hybrids, such as the Honda Insight, were criticized for looking too much like science experiments. But that's not the case with the Toyota Hybrid X, a concept car unveiled on Tuesday at the Geneva auto show to herald the Japanese automaker's "new design language for hybrid models."

The quirky four-passenger Hybrid X takes its name from two U shapes created by the vehicle's upper glass frame area and unusual A- and C-pillars. The shapes make a giant X when viewed from above. The overall shape of the Hybrid X is somewhat blobby, almost reminiscent of a bloated Toyota Matrix, with a narrow greenhouse and generous side panels.

Unusual touches include headlights that are integrated into the dashboard and "are now part of the interior of the car," Toyota said. The automaker says the headlights are "intelligent" and "display graphic forms through animation." In the cabin, a perfume diffuser dispenses a "gentle, relaxing aroma," and the two rear seats swivel. Other multi-sensory features include a sophisticated cabin lighting system and an artistic drawing printed on an inside door panel.

Toyota says the concept has the dimensions of a conventional family car, with an overall length of 177 inches and a wheelbase of 110 inches. It is 56.7 inches tall and 72.8 inches wide. Details include rear-hinged passenger doors that open with the touch of a button, and custom 20-inch alloy wheels. Without giving horsepower or torque numbers, Toyota said the Hybrid X "further extends the use of its Hybrid Synergy Drive."

The Hybrid X was created and developed by Toyota's European styling center, ED2.

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