For the armchair driver? Toyota unveils 'sofa on wheels' - among dozens of other futuristic cars at Beijing motor show



Toyota concept vehicle is 'electric personal vehicle'



Top speed of 20mph

Show attracted 2,000 companies from 36 countries

84 new vehicles on show - a sign of Chinese car show's increasing power

It looks like an electric wheelchair crossed with a recliner, it's controlled by two joysticks at either side - and Toyota believes it might be the future of transport.

Toyota's i-Real electric vehicle was one of the more surreal cars on show at the Beijing Motor Show this year - others included a drop-top electric version of the VW beetle.



The show attracted 2,000 companies from 36 countries - and 84 new vehicles were unveiled at the show, a sign that the Beijing show has increasing clout in the car market.



Sofa on wheels? A model drives a Toyota i-REAL during the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition Green machine? A model stands beside a drop-top electrically powered version of the VW Beetle

A model of Japanese comic book hero Astro Boy model stands near a Toyota V2 car

More than 2,000 automotive enterprises from 14 countries and regions participated in the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition

Many Western and Japanese car manufacturers showed off new models - but Chinese companies unveiled their own rivals.



Companies such as Toyota also unveiled China-only models - including hybrid cars and SUVs, many of which are also built in China.

President Akio Toyoda said: 'We would like to put smiles on the faces of our Chinese customers with hybrid technology. I want the people of China to be able to experience the beauty of hybrid technology through a hybrid car born in China.'

Many of the cars on display were SUV and off-road vehicles - a reflection of China's increasing wealth, but also of the terrible state of the country's roads, many of which are riddled with potholes.

MG also unveiled a concept car, the Icon - showing off how the company has moved on since the formerly British car firm was taken over by Shanghai-based SAIC.

An MG Icon car is on display - more than 2,000 companies attended the car show





Made in China: A model stands beside a GreatWall SUV made in the country A visitor sits beside the MG6 BTCC cars A model tries out the Haval E concept car

A Roewe 950 car at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition at China International Exhibition Center on April 29, 2012 in Beijing, China

Toyota is no stranger to odd car concepts - having already unveiled a car that can change its whole look in an instant.



The Fun-Vii, which stands for ‘vehicle interactive internet’, is a concept car with a bodyshell made of touch-screen panels that not only allow the driver to change the pattern on display but also connect the car to the dealership’s website for a check-up.



It even greets its driver with a message that flashes up on the door.

Good call: The Fun-Vii is a car that thinks it's a smartphone

Toyota showed off the unique car ahead of the Tokyo Motor Show today, with company president Akio Toyoda saying: ‘A car must appeal to our emotions. If it’s not fun, it’s not a car.’

The car giant has no plans to put Fun-Vii into production just yet, but explained that it’s an example of the kinds of technologies that it could incorporate into designs in the future.



It said in a statement: ‘It heralds Toyota’s vision of a future where people, cars and society are linked.’

Smart: The car can display various graphics on its interior or exterior

Two other electric Toyota concept cars have also been revealed.



The FT-EV III is a four-seater electric vehicle based on the Toyota iQ.

Equipped with a lithium-ion battery, it achieves an estimated cruising range of 65 miles on a fully charged battery.

Wacky: The Fun-Vii won't go into production but demonstrates the kinds of technologies that could be incorporated into cars in the future

Toyota is developing EV technology with the aim of launching a vehicle suitable for short-distance travel in 2012, when the plug-in market comes to the UK.



The FCV-R (Fuel Cell Vehicle – Reality & Revolution) concept, meanwhile, is a practical, family sized vehicle fuelled by hydrogen.



This concept model represents the next step towards the commercial launch of a Toyota fuel cell vehicle by 2015.

