iRock! iRoll! iRoad!

The three-wheeled Toyota i-Road concept leans into turns, and in a newly released official video, the automaker shows the urban runabout in action. While previous images and video showed the concept’s tall and narrow silhouette, the new video reveals how what Toyota calls Active Lean technology enables the i-Road concept to turn.

Rather than turning the front wheels, the i-Road concept turns by leaning into the corner, similar to a motorcycle or downhill skier. During cornering, the inside front wheel raises relative to the body, while the outside front wheel lowers relative to the body, keeping the i-Road’s footprint narrow and its turning radius tight.

Toyota calls the i-Road concept a compact, emissions-free city car for two passengers. With its narrow and upright design, our guess is that the occupants sit in tandem rather than shoulder-to-shoulder. Motivation for the i-Road concept comes from an electric motor, providing a range of up to 30 miles, with a full recharge taking about three hours. Toyota says that, if the car were produced, four i-Roads could fit into one parking space.

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