Almost edible! Toyota's ES Cube

Date: Tuesday, 19. June 2012

Toyota is calling it the "concept car of the near future." It's intended to be the world's most fuel economical 4-passenger car and with it's 1.4 liter engine and upwards of 88 mpg (140 km). As well, it's designed to meet the world's toughest exhaust emissions standards for a diesel, and it's a whole new deal in recyclability. 'It comes close to becoming the first car manufactured using edible materials, because biodegradable plastics used for the interior are manufactured from plants such as the sweet potato, while natural fibres such as bamboo and flax are used for the interior trim," says UK Times motoring correspondent Jesse Crosse.

On top of that, Toyota claims it has the lowest coefficient of drag (Cd) in the world for a practical four-seater. Crosse says he had no problem driving it around a test oval near Paris at 95 mph.

Add to that some neat hi-tech features such as a tiny digital camera-type memory to store MP3 files for the audio system and a sensor on the dash that monitors the body temperature of the passenger and controls the cabin temperature accordingly. The ES cube, says Crosse, is only 3.5 meters long, but it's roomy.

Will it come to a showroom near you soon? Probably not in its present form, but it'll come.