Toyota concept vehicles (2000–2009)

Toyota concept vehicles are transportation devices manufactured or designed by automobile company Toyota from 2000 to 2009. As their name suggests, these vehicles were concepts, and, as such, many were never released to dealerships. Many were developed in conjunction with other corporations such as Sony or Subaru.

The Yaris Cabrio Concept was a 2-door convertible presented at the March 2000 Geneva Motor Show. The Yaris Cabrio featured a fabric roof. It never reached the production stage.

The Toyota Celica Ultimate Concept was introduced in 2000. The project was a collaboration between Toyota and Rod Millen Motorsports. The Ultimate Concept uses the body from a seventh generation Celica GT-S, but the powertrain and all-wheel drive system from a prior generation Celica GT-Four. The turbocharged inline-four engine from the GT-Four was modified to produce 371 kW (497 hp) at 8,000 rpm and 461 N⋅m (340 lb⋅ft) of torque at 5,500 rpm. During testing, Millen was reportedly able to achieve a 0–97 km/h (0–60 mph) time of 4.9 seconds, a 97–161 km/h (60–100 mph) time of 6.7 seconds, and a 402 m (1⁄4 mile) time of 13.3 seconds at 174 km/h (108 mph). Millen says these figures were limited by turbo lag and the 5-speed manual transmission from the donor car. The concept also features redesigned front and rear suspension, upgraded brakes, and a fuel cell in the trunk. Most of the stock interior from the seventh-generation Celica was kept, with modifications such as an integrated and mostly hidden roll cage, Recaro seats with racing harnesses, no rear seats, and a race-style LED tachometer to keep up with the faster revving engine. The exterior of the car has also been restyled with a new body kit, hood, spoiler and wheels.

The Toyota ES³ (Eco Spirit cubed) was a concept car made by Toyota in 2001. It was designed to use parts made from bioplastics. The ES³ was not made into a production vehicle but the technology was used in the Raum in 2003 under the name of Toyota Eco-Plastic.

The Toyota Pod was a concept car created by Toyota in collaboration with Sony. The Pod was first shown at the October 2001 Tokyo Motor Show. The Pod was unique as it was designed with artificial intelligence systems built in to make the car appear more personal.

The Pod was much like a living being due to the artificial intelligence programmed into it. It featured a screen inside with Sony-created software running on it, capable of creating shopping lists and running music and radio. The car could also judge the attitude and mood of the driver based on their reactions and how they are driving, and could offer advice on how to improve their current mood. The seats inside are like stools which could freely spin and rotate. On the exterior, the Pod could express its own feelings with coloured LEDs - red for anger, yellow for happy, blue for sad - and an antenna that wags, much like a dog's tail. The Pod was designed as a "car of the future" and hence was never put into production.

The Pod was featured in the game Gran Turismo Concept and had an exclusive race to itself. A new track - using segments from the Clubman Stage Route 5 course - was created which involved 6 Pods driving through the pitlane backwards before stopping in a special area for several seconds before being allowed to resume racing.

The Toyota DMT (Dual Mode Traveller) was a concept van made by Toyota and first shown at the October 2001 Tokyo Motor Show. The van had a high mounted driving position and a rear cabin designed to be useful as an office or studio.