saleem

As reported by leftlane news and some of the top brass at Toyota hinting that a sports car is coming. Tokuo Fukuichi head of Toyotas ED2 Design center noted as saying they are working on it.

"Toyota considering hybrid sports car

Toyota is hoping to transfer its sales momentum to the sports car segment, Toyota executives told Dow Jones Newswires Monday. And a new hybrid model will be at the center of that movement, the sources said. The new model is "going to be global project, not one aimed at one region more than another. The concept is a hybrid," said Tokuo Fukuichi, the head of Toyota's ED2 design center. "We made a proposal to head office for a hybrid sports car. We're not sure that we're going to proceed with that but every time we develop a new car we consider a hybrid system. We have limited resources," he said.



Recent rumors have suggested a hybrid car could fill the gap left by the discontinuation of the Celica and MR2, and Fukuichi's comments seem to confirm that this is a strong possibility. "The sports car will come, but I don't know exactly when. Since we stopped production of the Celica and the MR2, there's a gap in that end of our range where we don't get the full impact of our participation in Formula 1," he said.



In February, we noted an Autocar report that suggested the Celica replacement will feature hybrid powertrain. The 2007/2008 model is said to be mid-engined, with four seats and all-wheel-drive. The car is also said to feature a folding metal hardtop — something that has never been seen before in a mid-engine car. It will take some inspiration from the CS+S Concept (shown right), the report said.



Fukuichi said Toyota has received a high volume of request for a sports car from dealers and customers. He said such a car would have to be affordable but also offer a lot of advanced technology. He said the target will be young, affluent buyers".
Here is the link to the article below

http://www.leftlanenews.com/2006/06/...id-sports-car/

Gojirra99

I hope it will look more like the Volta concept much more than that ugly thing they posted on that website ^^^ . . . but is the volta suppose to be more high end though ?

Yoko

Hybrid sports car, cool.

saleem

I think it will be a mix between the Volta and the CS and S or whatever that little car is called. It will be awesome looking though considering it will be THE sports car Toyota makes and especially since it will hybrid. It will be a technological tour de force.

LexFather

I ain't holding my breathe, this has been an internal struggle for Toyota for the past 3 years now.

I say why not? Be the first to offer a sports car hybrid, like the RX and GS were firsts.

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

That idea has been on the Toyota website for a long time:










Still most likely won't happen, as heavy hybrid technology does not pair well with lightweight performance.

spwolf

expect something normal, something like MRS or Celica, just more useful, from the comments in that article.

Since "sports car" would be designed for all markets, expect price from 20k--30k.

philip: lighter the car, better is performance, no matter if it is hybrid or not...

Ramon

This is what you get when you combine a Pontiac Solstice, Chrysler Crossfire and Lexus LF-A

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

...and a bar of soap.

UberNoob

keep in mind that toyota can cut down a lot of weight by switching to lithium ion batteries instead of NiMH

which is what they are doing to the prius for the next gen

with the weight reduction, i believe performance will be pretty good with all that instantaneous torque

XeroK00L

Again, the cost of Li-ion batteries make them impossible for applications in a mainstream car like the Prius. For a high-end sports car, of course, this can be justified, but IMO the hybrid system simply won't work for a sports car, where lightweight AND a sustainable high output is paramount. As soon as the battery drains after 12 seconds or so, the whole hybrid drivetrain becomes a sheer burden to the car. However, the system should work for a sporty car meant more for a fun daily commute than for track use.

92 SC400

Hybrid or not, that car is hideous. The front end looks like a face. I think this car was a reject from the "Cars" casting.

UberNoob

but didnt toyota said they are committing to mass producing the li-ions to implement them at an economic price for the next gen prius?

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/au...ts_113mpg.html

im not sure how credible that article is
but i do hope that by 2008, toyota will be able to figure out how to make lithium ions at a fair price

BiGLeX 400

OT, when do you think Toyota will start making a car worthy of trading in my Corolla S? The Prius didn't appeal to us and our car gets better gas mileage than practically all other 4 cylinder ( non hybid) on the market. If they could combine an efficient 4 cylinder, hybrid technology, 50mpg +, looks good, goes decently fast and takes the Corolla platform to a new level we would buy it.

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

The 2009 Prius is said to have 110+ mpg efficiency! Until then, Toyota's new 4-cylinder engines (with more power and better gas efficiency) won't be available until the new Corolla shows up in 2007/8.