Posts Tagged ‘Toyota 86’

Toyota Looking at New Supra – But Will it Be Electric?

MR2 Successor also reportedly in the works.

by on Nov.12, 2012

Toyota's FT-86 Concept II could serve as the platform for the long-lamented Supra. But might Toyota turn to Tesla to help develop a battery drivetrain?.

“Passion” is a word one hears a lot in conversations with Toyota executives these days, up to and including President Akio Toyoda, who points to recent introductions like the Scion FR-S and Lexus GS to underscore his intentions.

But it’s beginning to look like that’s just the beginning of Toyota’s performance aspirations, with new reports suggesting there could be at least a couple more performance machines on the Japanese giant’s horizons – notably in the form of all-new versions of the long-lamented Supra and MR-2 models.

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But, as the new FR-S demonstrates, Toyota may take a very different approach in bringing those – or other – performance models back to life. One very strong possibility is that it could turn outside for help, perhaps to the likes of California-based Tesla Motors to provide a battery-based drivetrain for a new Supra.

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First Look: Scion FR-S

American sports car aficionados get their own version of Toyota’s new 86.

by on Dec.01, 2011

Hours after unveiling the Toyota 86 in Tokyo, Scion shows off its new FR-S.

Toyota seems to be taking to heart the mandate laid down by CEO Akio Toyoda that it start pumping some passion into its products.  The Japanese giant had barely finished up the Tokyo Motor Show introduction of its new 86 sports car before its youth-oriented Scion division rolled out the all-new FR-S 2+2.

Of course, the two are one-and-the-same, barring the badging.  Toyota has decided to launch the American version of the sports car developed in a joint venture with Subaru as the new Scion FR-S.

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“Serving as a laboratory for Toyota, Scion is always experimenting with new things,” explained Scion brand boss Jack Hollis, during a preview at Hollywood’s Milk Studios. “The FR-S will no doubt serve as the halo car, expanding Scion into a new dimension of driving performance.”

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It’s Official This Time: Subaru Reveals the Production BRZ

Is racing in the new sports car’s future?

by on Nov.30, 2011

Subaru's new sports car, the BRZ, gets its long-awaited introduction.

It may not have been the longest gestation in automotive history but it was beginning to feel like it, both Subaru and Toyota staging seemingly endless advance looks at the new sports car they’ve been jointly developing.

Now, the long wait has finally come to an end, the two Japanese makers staging separate news conferences at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show to reveal what their efforts have wrought.

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Despite some earlier indications, there’s relatively little difference between the Subaru BRZ and its step-sibling the Toyota 86 (which will be called the GT-86 in Europe and Scion FR-S in the States).  Stretch and you’ll spot some modest tweaks that offer slight distinctions between the two models.  But there isn’t much else to differentiate them – if that matters – beyond the Subaru’s bumpers and a side air intake that replaces an “86” badge on the Toyota.

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First Look: Toyota 86

Americans will see the results of new alliance with Subaru marketed as the Scion FR-S.

by on Nov.30, 2011

Toyota finally reveals the production version of its new sports car - to be called 86 in Japan and Scion FR-S in the States.

Nearly four years in the making, Toyota has finally pulled the wraps off the 2-seat sports car it has developed as part of a joint venture with the smaller Japanese automaker Subaru.

Targeted at the small, affordable sports car niche now dominated by the long-lived Mazda Miata, Toyota will call the new model the Toyota 86, a reference to the maker’s legendary AE86 Corolla of the 1980s.  The sports car will actually go by a variety of different names.  The Japanese will also know it as the Hachiroku, while it will go with the moniker Toyota GT-86 in Europe — and appear under the Scion FR-S badge in the States.

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Whatever you prefer, the 2-seater is a low-slung design that was developed as part of a tandem effort that appears to have put the emphasis on Toyota design and Subaru technology – such as the so-called 2.0-liter boxer inline-four engine both manufacturers will share.  But the lines are a bit blurry, insiders stress, Toyota, for example, reportedly kicking in its fuel delivery system.

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Subaru Releases BRZ Photos Ahead of Official Debut

The much-anticipated sports coupe is expected to go on sale in the spring.

by on Nov.29, 2011

The production version of the Subaru BRZ will differ from its Toyota siblings in trim only.

A day after learning the names for the Toyota version of its joint sports coupe project, Subaru is has released photos of its version ahead of its official reveal at the Tokyo Auto Show.

The 2013 Subaru BRZ was co-developed with the Toyota sport coupe – which will be known as the 86 in Japan, GT 86 in Europe and Scion FR-S in the states – and has been teased repeatedly, most recently at the Los Angeles Auto Show, where Subaru displayed the BRZ Concept STI. Earlier, a version called the BRZ Prologue was shown in Geneva. The bizarre “technology concept,” which showed the car’s internal workings, was on display in September at the Frankfurt Auto Show.

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Subaru didn’t release any new details about the car, but Toyota has released technical specifications, which are listed below. The two cars will differ in trim only, so the specs should stay the same.

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Details on Toyota Sports Coupe Trickle Out

The name comes from the beloved AE86 Corolla from the '80s.

by on Nov.29, 2011

Toyota will sell its rear-wheel-drive sports coupe as the 86 in Japan and GT 86 in Europe. It will be known as the Scion FR-S in the U.S.

With enthusiasts looking for anything to sate their appetite for the latest details on the Toyobaru (Subayota?), Toyota has devilishly allowed a mere trickle of details to come out about its version of the much-anticipated sport coupe it has developed with Subaru.

The current dish? While the car will be sold in the States as the Scion FR-S, it will be called the GT 86 in Europe and simply 86 in Japan, paying homage the revered AE86 Corolla from the ’80s.

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Even more will be released next week when the car makes its official debut at the Toyota Motor Show. Toyota is calling the car a “production prototype,” but it will likely differ from the production version in details only.

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