The Toyota Prius gets a baby brother with the brand’s teeny lime green plug-in hybrid. The ‘CH,’ by the way, stands for ‘compact hybrid’ since the car is 22 inches shorter in overall length than the Prius yet loses only half an inch in width. Its wheelbase is six inches shorter. However, in spite of its compact dimensions, the FT-CH delivers maximum passenger comfort along with a spacious interior and an imaginative sense of style.

With styling from Toyota’s European Design and Development Center in France, the FT-CH captures the spirit and functionality of a car that thrives in urbanite environment as it was specifically sized to be nimble and maneuverable in city traffic. Toyota said that if the FT-CH concept is manufactured, it would be cheaper than the current midsize Prius and would likely be part of the “Prius family” of cars. Toyota U.S. president Jim Lentz said the lower price point will capture the younger, less-affluent buyer demographic who don’t need a larger vehicle. Moreover, the lime-green livery and sleek shape might do the trick and attract those younger buyers.

The FT-CH is an interesting piece of design work considering its retro-futuristic Buck Rogers–style white and black interior, stout road stance, pencil headlights perched at the base of its windshield, and taillights ingrained in the back glass. Toyota designers went quite heavy on the hexagons but the car looks chic overall, particularly in the rear three-quarter view. The two-door four-seater compact hybrid’s reduced weight and trim size are said to be even more fuel efficient than the Prius, with the latter currently leading EPA city/highway fuel economy ratings at 51/48 mpg.

Before long, Toyota intends to sell no less than a million hybrids annually globally in the early part of the decade, with majority of the vehicles to be marketed in North America. The plan includes expanded vehicle options, with Toyota launching eight all new hybrid models over the next couple of years. Though currently labelled a concept, the FT-CH definitely looks ready for production as the first of such models.