(Look out SMART, the iQ is coming! flickr/A.Schwenke)
Here's something I just caught on Gizmag (title link). It's good news for Microcar lovers, uncertain news for American Microcar lovers, and could possibly be bad news for SMART... or not. Here's a snippet of the story:

July 6, 2008 Toyota showed its iQ Concept at last year’s motorshows, creating a new class of premium ultra-compact vehicle, capable of carrying three adults plus a child in comfort. Now, in a move that foretells a coming era of much smaller cars, the iQ is set for production in 2008 and availability in 2009. The iQ was a sensation, proving emphatically that small does not mean basic, and drawing huge crowds – the message sunk in quickly, and now the production version (pictured) offers a completely new proposition for urban motoring that is stylish, sophisticated, technically advanced and kinder to the environment.

The iQ was a sensation, proving emphatically that small does not mean basic, and drawing huge crowds – the message sunk in quickly, and now the production version (pictured) offers a completely new proposition for urban motoring that is stylish, sophisticated, technically advanced and kinder to the environment.

iQ is less than three metres long, but wider and with a longer cabin than a Toyota Yaris. It achieves a breakthrough in small car packaging to deliver unprecedented interior space, thanks to a series of interlinked engineering innovations (I call it origami!).

I'm not sure what to expect just yet as far as fuel efficency goes (I hear it's on par with the Prius), but I do know they are calling this a 3+1 seating configuration, meaning room for 3 adults and 1 child... or luggage, whatever you wanna call 'em. Now the real question will be "is this a 2009 for the USA?". We'll keep ya posted; in the meantime, here's some spy photos.