A joint venture between Toyota and PSA (Peugeot-Citron) has produced three tiny, A-class minicars that are being built at a new factory in the Czech Republic, which is fast becoming a hotbed of automotive manufacturing, thanks to cheap land, cheap labor, and a cooperative government. The Toyota Aygo, which is the smallest of the trio at 11.2 feet in length, will not be offered stateside, but it's worthy of our attention because the joint venture that created it is yet another small but important step in Toyota's relentless march toward global domination of the auto industry. The Japanese automaker does not yet have a big presence in Europe but is turning its attention and resources to the Continent, giving struggling automakers like Fiat yet another reason to worry.
The three Czech-built urban runabouts are powered by a 1.0-liter, three-cylinder gasoline engine producing 67 hp and 67 lb-ft of torque and weighing only 152 pounds, which Toyota claims makes it the lightest engine of any car on the market today. The Aygo itself checks in at only 1740 pounds, but reaching 60 mph still takes a very leisurely 14.9 seconds. Combined fuel economy figures, though, would make an SUV owner weep: 51 mpg average in the European cycle. Who needs a Prius?!?