Sporty Hybrids? Toyota considering getting back into sports car market
05-02-05, 09:05 AM
#1
Speaks French in Russian
Thread Starter
Sporty Hybrids? Toyota considering getting back into sports car market
Sporty Hybrids? Toyota considering getting back into sports car market, with possible hybrid twist
LOS ANGELES -- For all the r&d money that Toyota Motor Corp. spends on Formula One racing, it has little to show for it in the showroom. The Toyota, Lexus and Scion lineups lack sports cars.
But Toyota is considering getting back into sporty cars - with a hybrid twist.
While its mass-market competitors have asphalt-blistering sporty cars, Toyota has stayed on the sidelines since killing its Supra in 2000 and MR2 Spyder last year.
The sportiest cars in the lineups are the Scion tC coupe, which replaced the Toyota Celica last year, the Toyota Camry Solara and Lexus SC 430.
Jim Press, COO of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc., acknowledges that Toyota lacks sporty cars. He says they are difficult for the automaker because sporty cars are "not in our DNA."
Press says he is lobbying his bosses in Japan to bring sporty cars back.
Ernest Bastien, vice president of Toyota's vehicle operations group, says: "Small and sporty is a tough segment, and it is contracting. The new thing in these segments look good for a year, and that's it."
He suggests that a hybrid sporty car could enable Toyota to carve out its own niche in the fickle segment. Toyota is the world leader in hybrids, which combine an internal combustion engine with one or more electric motors to power the wheels.
Bastien says the benefits that Toyota has reaped from hybrid powertrains far exceed the shine that a high-performance halo car might provide. In March, Toyota Prius sales almost matched the combined sales of the Nissan 350Z, Mazda RX-8, Chevrolet Corvette, Pontiac GTO and Honda S2000.
A hybrid powertrain would be compatible in a sporty car, too. Although the battery pack would add weight, its location would lower the car's center of gravity and balance weight between the front and back.
Toyota's possible collaboration on a Porsche Cayenne hybrid shows that the German automaker sees the potential for hybrid sporty cars as well.
Says Toyota's Bastien: "We could carve out a piece of the market we could call our own."
http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=102288
LOS ANGELES -- For all the r&d money that Toyota Motor Corp. spends on Formula One racing, it has little to show for it in the showroom. The Toyota, Lexus and Scion lineups lack sports cars.
But Toyota is considering getting back into sporty cars - with a hybrid twist.
While its mass-market competitors have asphalt-blistering sporty cars, Toyota has stayed on the sidelines since killing its Supra in 2000 and MR2 Spyder last year.
The sportiest cars in the lineups are the Scion tC coupe, which replaced the Toyota Celica last year, the Toyota Camry Solara and Lexus SC 430.
Jim Press, COO of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc., acknowledges that Toyota lacks sporty cars. He says they are difficult for the automaker because sporty cars are "not in our DNA."
Press says he is lobbying his bosses in Japan to bring sporty cars back.
Ernest Bastien, vice president of Toyota's vehicle operations group, says: "Small and sporty is a tough segment, and it is contracting. The new thing in these segments look good for a year, and that's it."
He suggests that a hybrid sporty car could enable Toyota to carve out its own niche in the fickle segment. Toyota is the world leader in hybrids, which combine an internal combustion engine with one or more electric motors to power the wheels.
Bastien says the benefits that Toyota has reaped from hybrid powertrains far exceed the shine that a high-performance halo car might provide. In March, Toyota Prius sales almost matched the combined sales of the Nissan 350Z, Mazda RX-8, Chevrolet Corvette, Pontiac GTO and Honda S2000.
A hybrid powertrain would be compatible in a sporty car, too. Although the battery pack would add weight, its location would lower the car's center of gravity and balance weight between the front and back.
Toyota's possible collaboration on a Porsche Cayenne hybrid shows that the German automaker sees the potential for hybrid sporty cars as well.
Says Toyota's Bastien: "We could carve out a piece of the market we could call our own."
http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=102288
05-02-05, 10:52 AM
#2
Lexus Fanatic
Drop that V10 you have into a proper sportscar frame and revive the Supra already, Toyota!!
A hybrid sportscar will be nice but until it can run 50 hot laps without the battery pack draining, they still need a pure-breed sportscar to enter the market properly.
A hybrid sportscar will be nice but until it can run 50 hot laps without the battery pack draining, they still need a pure-breed sportscar to enter the market properly.
05-02-05, 11:25 AM
#3
Super Moderator
Hybrids maybe more suitable for high performance luxury sports sedans/GT which are heavy anyway. A super sports car should be as light as possible. 
A high performance hybrid version of the SC is OK though, they're not meant to be a track car like a NSX, but a grand tourer that's both very fast & luxurious.
A high performance hybrid version of the SC is OK though, they're not meant to be a track car like a NSX, but a grand tourer that's both very fast & luxurious.
05-02-05, 01:02 PM
#4
Lexus Test Driver
Considering a sports car????..............................WTF is there to consider??A sports car is mandatory for a company so large a so profitable.C'mon even Saturn has a sports car coming. Build it Toyota!!!
05-02-05, 01:09 PM
#5
Super Moderator
But Toyota always seems to be most concerned about the most efficient use of it's resources than bragging rights 
Maybe that's why they're so successful financially, but not neccessarily the best for car enthusisasts who want to support them . . . 
Maybe that's why they're so successful financially, but not neccessarily the best for car enthusisasts who want to support them . . .
05-02-05, 05:45 PM
#6
Guest
Posts: n/a
Originally Posted by magneto112
Sporty Hybrids? Toyota considering getting back into sports car market, with possible hybrid twist
LOS ANGELES -- For all the r&d money that Toyota Motor Corp. spends on Formula One racing, it has little to show for it in the showroom. The Toyota, Lexus and Scion lineups lack sports cars.
But Toyota is considering getting back into sporty cars - with a hybrid twist.
While its mass-market competitors have asphalt-blistering sporty cars, Toyota has stayed on the sidelines since killing its Supra in 2000 and MR2 Spyder last year.
The sportiest cars in the lineups are the Scion tC coupe, which replaced the Toyota Celica last year, the Toyota Camry Solara and Lexus SC 430.
Jim Press, COO of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc., acknowledges that Toyota lacks sporty cars. He says they are difficult for the automaker because sporty cars are "not in our DNA."
Press says he is lobbying his bosses in Japan to bring sporty cars back.
Ernest Bastien, vice president of Toyota's vehicle operations group, says: "Small and sporty is a tough segment, and it is contracting. The new thing in these segments look good for a year, and that's it."
He suggests that a hybrid sporty car could enable Toyota to carve out its own niche in the fickle segment. Toyota is the world leader in hybrids, which combine an internal combustion engine with one or more electric motors to power the wheels.
Bastien says the benefits that Toyota has reaped from hybrid powertrains far exceed the shine that a high-performance halo car might provide. In March, Toyota Prius sales almost matched the combined sales of the Nissan 350Z, Mazda RX-8, Chevrolet Corvette, Pontiac GTO and Honda S2000.
A hybrid powertrain would be compatible in a sporty car, too. Although the battery pack would add weight, its location would lower the car's center of gravity and balance weight between the front and back.
Toyota's possible collaboration on a Porsche Cayenne hybrid shows that the German automaker sees the potential for hybrid sporty cars as well.
Says Toyota's Bastien: "We could carve out a piece of the market we could call our own."
http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=102288
LOS ANGELES -- For all the r&d money that Toyota Motor Corp. spends on Formula One racing, it has little to show for it in the showroom. The Toyota, Lexus and Scion lineups lack sports cars.
But Toyota is considering getting back into sporty cars - with a hybrid twist.
While its mass-market competitors have asphalt-blistering sporty cars, Toyota has stayed on the sidelines since killing its Supra in 2000 and MR2 Spyder last year.
The sportiest cars in the lineups are the Scion tC coupe, which replaced the Toyota Celica last year, the Toyota Camry Solara and Lexus SC 430.
Jim Press, COO of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc., acknowledges that Toyota lacks sporty cars. He says they are difficult for the automaker because sporty cars are "not in our DNA."
Press says he is lobbying his bosses in Japan to bring sporty cars back.
Ernest Bastien, vice president of Toyota's vehicle operations group, says: "Small and sporty is a tough segment, and it is contracting. The new thing in these segments look good for a year, and that's it."
He suggests that a hybrid sporty car could enable Toyota to carve out its own niche in the fickle segment. Toyota is the world leader in hybrids, which combine an internal combustion engine with one or more electric motors to power the wheels.
Bastien says the benefits that Toyota has reaped from hybrid powertrains far exceed the shine that a high-performance halo car might provide. In March, Toyota Prius sales almost matched the combined sales of the Nissan 350Z, Mazda RX-8, Chevrolet Corvette, Pontiac GTO and Honda S2000.
A hybrid powertrain would be compatible in a sporty car, too. Although the battery pack would add weight, its location would lower the car's center of gravity and balance weight between the front and back.
Toyota's possible collaboration on a Porsche Cayenne hybrid shows that the German automaker sees the potential for hybrid sporty cars as well.
Says Toyota's Bastien: "We could carve out a piece of the market we could call our own."
http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=102288
What hurts is the statement that Prius sales equal all those sports cars.
Well guess what, who the hell cares? They are sports cars, not volume sellers in the first place. And teh 350Z is selling in the over 20k a year range, with over 30k the first couple years, not bad at all here.
But I will admit, I never really looked to Toyota FOR sports cars in the first place, even with the outstanding Supra, low weight MR-2, Celica All Trac etc.....
They had the Supra AND mid-engine MR-2 in the 90s,AS WELL as an AWD Celica, they are trying to tell me they can't make 1 damn sports car?
05-02-05, 11:04 PM
#7
Speaks French in Russian
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by 1SICKLEX
What hurts is the statement that Prius sales equal all those sports cars.
Well guess what, who the hell cares? They are sports cars, not volume sellers in the first place. And teh 350Z is selling in the over 20k a year range, with over 30k the first couple years, not bad at all here.
But I will admit, I never really looked to Toyota FOR sports cars in the first place, even with the outstanding Supra, low weight MR-2, Celica All Trac etc.....
They had the Supra AND mid-engine MR-2 in the 90s,AS WELL as an AWD Celica, they are trying to tell me they can't make 1 damn sports car?
Well guess what, who the hell cares? They are sports cars, not volume sellers in the first place. And teh 350Z is selling in the over 20k a year range, with over 30k the first couple years, not bad at all here.
But I will admit, I never really looked to Toyota FOR sports cars in the first place, even with the outstanding Supra, low weight MR-2, Celica All Trac etc.....
They had the Supra AND mid-engine MR-2 in the 90s,AS WELL as an AWD Celica, they are trying to tell me they can't make 1 damn sports car?
I was thinking the same thing when I was reading it. Those facts mean nothing to me, and I dont know what the hell Toyota is thinking about when they said Performance is not in its DNA. Supra, Celica, MR-2, 2000GT, nad a few others that I cant think of right now I guess werent Performance cars. Toyota's performance history might be overshadowed by more popular sedate(if boring at times) cars/trucks, however they should never say something as asinine as this.
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05-03-05, 02:03 AM
#8
Lexus Test Driver
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BRING bACK THE SUPRA!!! i dont give a crap if they have hybrid or jet engine in there. i just want my supra back, really bad!
i just think toyota is just pissing enthusiasts off by not offering a single damn sport car in toyota line up. the most sportiest car they have is camry? blah.....
the happiest day of my life would be the day when toyota announces the return of the supra and i've been waiting that day for more than 4 years now. i am kinda **** at toyota
i just think toyota is just pissing enthusiasts off by not offering a single damn sport car in toyota line up. the most sportiest car they have is camry? blah.....
the happiest day of my life would be the day when toyota announces the return of the supra and i've been waiting that day for more than 4 years now. i am kinda **** at toyota
05-03-05, 01:01 PM
#9
Lexus Test Driver
Originally Posted by DC52E55
BRING bACK THE SUPRA!!! i dont give a crap if they have hybrid or jet engine in there. i just want my supra back, really bad!
i just think toyota is just pissing enthusiasts off by not offering a single damn sport car in toyota line up. the most sportiest car they have is camry? blah.....
the happiest day of my life would be the day when toyota announces the return of the supra and i've been waiting that day for more than 4 years now. i am kinda **** at toyota
i just think toyota is just pissing enthusiasts off by not offering a single damn sport car in toyota line up. the most sportiest car they have is camry? blah.....
the happiest day of my life would be the day when toyota announces the return of the supra and i've been waiting that day for more than 4 years now. i am kinda **** at toyota
05-03-05, 02:03 PM
#10
Toyota was supposedly launching a sports car in the near future (07?) that is a true 350Z competitor... (according to the QandA section in Planet Kaizen) and it will NOT be badged "SUPRA"... no other information though... just "stay tuned" hahaha
I posted an April Fools joke on another forum... I think what I wrote was somewhat believeable lol
http://www.solaraguy.org/viewtopic.php?t=16090
but I wish what I wrote was true... that'd be awesome
I posted an April Fools joke on another forum... I think what I wrote was somewhat believeable lol
http://www.solaraguy.org/viewtopic.php?t=16090
but I wish what I wrote was true... that'd be awesome
05-03-05, 03:29 PM
#11
I saw a Gillette commercial the other day and it was a black Supra that was being driven in it!!! I think Lexus should produce a true successor to the SC 300/400, keep the SC 430, and the LF-A...
05-03-05, 05:54 PM
#12
Originally Posted by enigma354
I saw a Gillette commercial the other day and it was a black Supra that was being driven in it!!! I think Lexus should produce a true successor to the SC 300/400, keep the SC 430, and the LF-A...
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