Toyota launches redesigned Passo compact car in Japan

Toyota has launched the partially redesigned ‘Passo’ compact hatchback in Japan. The redesigned vehicle (Length: 3650mm, Width: 1665mm, Height: 1535mm) achieves fuel efficiency of 27.6 kilometres per litre, the best for registered petrol vehicles in Japan (applicable to 1.0-litre two-wheel-drive models).

The Passo's fuel efficiency represents an improvement of around 30 percent over the previous design and exceeds the standards for 2015 set by the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) by 20 percent. Additionally, with CO2 emissions of 84 g/km, Toyota says the car now achieves emissions levels 75 percent lower than the 2005 standards established under MLIT's Approval System for Low-Emission Vehicles, making it eligible for full tax reductions under the Japanese government's tax incentive program.
The Passo uses a newly-developed, more efficient 1.0-litre engine with a maximum thermal efficiency of 37 percent. This superior level of thermal efficiency was achieved by raising the engine's compression ratio, optimizing valve timing, lowering friction, and using cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and an integrated exhaust manifold and cylinder head.

In addition to improved aerodynamic performance and an enhanced regeneration system (which turns the energy of deceleration into stored battery power), the 1.0-litre two-wheel-drive model also features the Toyota Stop & Start System (which cuts off the engine at approximately 9kph when slowing to a stop) as standard.

Toyota is targeting sales of 5,000 units of the Passo a month.