Autoblog

Toyota pondering high-performance GT86 hybrid?

Jeffrey N. Ross — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 14:14:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Hybrid, Performance, Toyota, Rumormill

From what Autocar has to say, Toyota has even more plans for the GT86 beyond the convertible concept we just saw at the Geneva Motor Show. Along with a planned midcycle facelift, Toyota is reportedly looking at how to pack some extra ponies under the coupe's hood, and while there has already been a lot of talk about superchargers and turbochargers, it sounds like a performance-boosting hybrid system could also be in the works.

Talking to Toyota chief engineer Tetsuya Tada, Autocar has learned that the automaker is considering an electrical motor assist for the sporty coupe to improve performance without harming fuel economy. In attempting to keep weight - and, presumably, costs - down, the article mentions the use of a system closer to what Honda uses for its Integrated Motor Assist rather than a full Hybrid Synergy Drive system used in current Toyota hybrids. Tada says the added weight of the system could be offset by weight reduction, while aerodynamic changes and a lower center of gravity could improve the car's handling.

No word yet on whether a mild hybrid system would find its way to North America's Scion FR-S - let alone its Subaru BRZ twin - but the thought is certainly an intriguing one.

Toyota pondering high-performance GT86 hybrid? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Mar 2013 14:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Toyota GT86 engineer Tada recounts how sports car came to be

Seyth Miersma — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 14:29:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Subaru, Toyota, Read This

Because the Toyota GT86, Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ coupes are now a reality, it's almost hard to imagine the struggle that had to happen within the large, conservative corporate structures at both automakers for the joint project to even get off of the ground.

Speaking to those struggles on Toyota UK's Toyota Blog, GT86 Chief Engineer Tetsuya Tada enlightens us with a recap of the sports car's earliest origins. For Tada, the first stages of the project must have seemed almost as dreamlike as the final product is to drive.

Said the Chief, "I had been working in the minivan department engineering new product, but a month after the meeting I was summoned. 'Forget about minivans,' they said, 'you are now working on the sports-car project.'"

The recounting of the GT86 development process makes for a genuinely interesting yarn, and is a must-read for any owners/enthusiasts of the BRZ/FR-S twins. We highly recommend clicking through to read it in full. Perhaps it's wishful thinking, but we can't help hoping that Tada-san has got more of the story to tell, still. We'll be keeping an eye on the official Toyota Blog, just in case.

Toyota GT86 engineer Tada recounts how sports car came to be originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Feb 2013 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Toyota planning Supra, MR2 successors within five years?

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Toyota

Every sighting of a MkIV Toyota Supra compels a wistful pause and the rhetorical query, "Ah, Toyota... what happened?" The FT-HS concept has been adorning auto show plinths since 2007, taking rumblings of a Supra successor everywhere it went. Last December, four years of hoping out loud led to Motor Trend reporting a Supra return with a 3.5-liter V6, perhaps to be ready in 2015. For any chance of that happening, the Toyota GT 86/Scion FR-S needed to do well.

Seven months later Toyota's little 300-horsepower coupe is still accelerating enthusiast hearts, and in May of this year MT added hybrid mechanicals, 400 horsepower, a CVT from the Lexus RX and a $60,000 price to its earlier report of a Supra redux.

A new report in Asia One doesn't divulge details, but does make it appear that a new Supra is inevitable: at a European event for the FR-S, chief engineer Tetsuya Tada said, "The president (Akio Toyoda) has asked me to make a successor to the Supra as soon as possible." This could be revisionist history, but the larger plan according to Tada has been that the GT 86/FR-S is the middle child in Toyota's sports car strategy, with a lower-tier entry like a new MR2 and an upper-tier entry like the Supra on the company's mind since the beginning.

According to the engineer, reasoning for the sports car push is that Toyota needs to add "driving fun" to its green-car credentials, and it needs to create a stronger bond with buyers that continues beyond the dealership. Tada said both new sports cars would take at least five years to develop and Asia One predicts that the Supra (or whatever it's eventually called) will come first, but Tada gave no indication of where it stands in the development process and he doesn't know when they'll be ready. We're of the opinion that tomorrow isn't too soon.

Toyota planning Supra, MR2 successors within five years? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Nov 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Scion FR-S designed with a rollcage in mind and other key tidbits

Jeff Glucker — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 09:58:00 EST

Filed under: Scion, Toyota, Rumormill

The diehards at Club4AG have been patiently waiting for a new generation of sports car from Toyota. It seems one of the sites founding members got a closer look at what's in store for the production version of the Toyota FT-86 II/Scion FR-S. User Moto-P got the chance to attend a dinner meeting with chief project engineer Tetsuya Tada, and it sounds like many a bean was spilled.

It's apparent from Moto-P's time spent with Tada that the upcoming vehicle is designed to be a true sports car, for true enthusiasts. The engine has been tuned by Yamaha to produce inspiring sounds. Racers will appreciate the space left on either side of the dash, which is there to accommodate a rollcage without also requiring that you cut up the dashboard. There's even a chance the car will come sans CD player and navigation unit to keep things light and simple in the cabin, yet an iPod connection would still be offered.

Moto-P goes on to express his love for the brand, the main engineer and the upcoming car itself. It's clear that this person is a huge fan, so we take everything said in the forum with a grain of salt. Still, it's interesting to hear about what may be in store for the long-awaited FT-86/Toyobaru.

Scion FR-S designed with a rollcage in mind and other key tidbits originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments