Toyota/Subaru/Scion Lightweight Sports Car: Toyota GT86, Subaru BRZ, Scion FRS!
03-05-13, 12:23 PM
#2791
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03-08-13, 04:07 PM
#2793
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Hotter Toyota 86 could go hybrid
http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/ne...ould-go-hybrid
http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/ne...ould-go-hybrid
Chief project engineer explains why electric boost may make more sense than turbocharging or supercharging
A high-performance petrol-electric hybrid version of the 86 sports car is under consideration at Toyota, Autocar can reveal.
According to chief engineer Tetsuya Tada, all routes remain open to conjuring more performance from the rear-driven two-seater, with an eye on the creation of a faster and more focussed version of the acclaimed rear-drive coupe to be released later in the car’s lifecycle.
“I’ve been asked a lot about a turbocharging,” Tada told us. “We are already working on a mid-life facelift for the car, and we are investigating both turbocharging and supercharging too,” he added. “But an electric motor assistance solution is also possible, and would bring benefits that forced induction does not.”
Toyota took the wraps off a conceptual convertible version of the 86 at the Geneva show, which is almost certain to make production. It nearly didn't, however. “The management considered the 86 very risky,” Tada said. “They wanted proof that the ’86 coupe would hit its sales targets before they would sign off on a convertible.
"Now that they have that proof, we can begin to think about other development ideas for the car. But we must guard against compromising any of the key virtues of the standard 86 in the pursuit of more power.”
An electric motor assist solution, Tada suggested, could provide a substantial low-rpm torque boost for the naturally aspirated engine without affecting throttle response or compromising on fuel economy or emissions.
Similar to the ‘IMA’ system used on the Honda CRZ, the hybrid system would be much cheaper and simpler than the one used on the Prius economy car. The batteries, meanwhile, could be used to lower the car’s centre of gravity even further.
The Toyota engineer suggested that the weight added by such a system could at least partly be offset, and that experimental underbody aerodynamic parts could be used to adjust the car’s handling balance should weight distribution be affected.
“Our TRD tuning department has found it easy to take 100kg out of the kerbweight, and have developed certain underbody fins and plates that can be employed to alter the dynamic balance of the car, to increase or reduce oversteer at medium and high speeds. They have quite a pronounced effect,” he said.
A high-performance petrol-electric hybrid version of the 86 sports car is under consideration at Toyota, Autocar can reveal.
According to chief engineer Tetsuya Tada, all routes remain open to conjuring more performance from the rear-driven two-seater, with an eye on the creation of a faster and more focussed version of the acclaimed rear-drive coupe to be released later in the car’s lifecycle.
“I’ve been asked a lot about a turbocharging,” Tada told us. “We are already working on a mid-life facelift for the car, and we are investigating both turbocharging and supercharging too,” he added. “But an electric motor assistance solution is also possible, and would bring benefits that forced induction does not.”
Toyota took the wraps off a conceptual convertible version of the 86 at the Geneva show, which is almost certain to make production. It nearly didn't, however. “The management considered the 86 very risky,” Tada said. “They wanted proof that the ’86 coupe would hit its sales targets before they would sign off on a convertible.
"Now that they have that proof, we can begin to think about other development ideas for the car. But we must guard against compromising any of the key virtues of the standard 86 in the pursuit of more power.”
An electric motor assist solution, Tada suggested, could provide a substantial low-rpm torque boost for the naturally aspirated engine without affecting throttle response or compromising on fuel economy or emissions.
Similar to the ‘IMA’ system used on the Honda CRZ, the hybrid system would be much cheaper and simpler than the one used on the Prius economy car. The batteries, meanwhile, could be used to lower the car’s centre of gravity even further.
The Toyota engineer suggested that the weight added by such a system could at least partly be offset, and that experimental underbody aerodynamic parts could be used to adjust the car’s handling balance should weight distribution be affected.
“Our TRD tuning department has found it easy to take 100kg out of the kerbweight, and have developed certain underbody fins and plates that can be employed to alter the dynamic balance of the car, to increase or reduce oversteer at medium and high speeds. They have quite a pronounced effect,” he said.
03-13-13, 06:54 PM
#2795
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http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31013
Top Finalists Announced in All World Car Awards Categories
GENEVA - March 5, 2013
At a press conference hosted by Bridgestone Corporation and the New York International Auto Show at the Geneva International Motor Show, the top finalists for the World Car of the Year, World Performance Car, World Green Car and World Car Design of the Year awards were announced today.
The overall winners in all categories will be declared at the New York International Auto Show on Thursday, March 28, 2013.
World Car of the Year
From an initial entry list of forty-two new vehicles from all over the world, then a short list of ten finalists, the top contenders for the overall 2013 World Car of the Year title have been revealed. "In the voting for this year's WCOTY award, we saw a very closely fought race which resulted in not three, but four finalists!" explained World Car Awards co-chair, Peter Lyon.
They are, in alphabetical order by manufacturer: Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Porsche Boxster / Cayman, the combined entry Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ / Toyota 86 / GT 86, and the Volkswagen Golf.
This is the second consecutive year that Volkswagen is in the top three position and the fourth time since 2009. The Volkswagen UP! was the 2012 World Car of the Year.
To be eligible for the overall World Car award, the candidates must become available for sale on at least two continents during the period beginning January 1, 2012 and ending May 30, 2013.
Vehicles are selected and voted on by an international jury panel comprised of sixty-six top-level automotive journalists from twenty-three countries around the world. Each juror was appointed by the World Car Steering Committee on the basis of his or her expertise, experience, credibility, and influence. Each juror typically drives and evaluates new vehicles on a regular basis as part of their professional work. All hold significant stature within their own regions and countries.
World Performance Car
The top three finalists for the 2013 World Performance Car award are, in alphabetical order: the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, Porsche Boxster / Cayman and the combined entry Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ / Toyota 86 / GT 86.
This is the seventh time out of eight that Porsche has secured a top three position. The Porsche 911 won last's year's World Performance Car title. It is the second time for Ferrari. The Ferrari 458 Italia won the 2011 World Performance Car award.
While the winner of the overall World Car award must excel in a broad range of attributes, the World Performance Car award must demonstrate a specific and overt sports/performance orientation while satisfying the same availability criteria as for the overall World Car of the Year award.
Entrants may be chosen from that list of eligible vehicles, or they may be newly introduced variants that satisfy the same criteria, but are derived from existing rather than brand-new models. In all cases, they must have a minimum annual production rate of five-hundred (500) vehicles.
World Green Car
The World Green Car award is presented by Bridgestone Corporation (Japan). Ryoji Yamada, General Manager of Brand Management said, "We are very pleased and honoured to sponsor the 2013 World Green Car award. The environment is everyone's responsibility. And throughout our global family of companies, we take this responsibility very seriously. We believe it is our mission to serve society with superior quality... not just with eco-friendly products but also in the way we produce those products and the way in which we support our many communities with environ mentally-friendly activities such as wildlife habitats and our Lake Biwa initiative in Japan".
Due to the complexity of some of the 'green' technologies, five green experts were appointed by the World Car Steering Committee to extensively review all documentation and specs associated with each candidate. They then create a short-list of finalists for review by the sixty-six (66) jurors in their second round of voting in February. The five green experts were in alphabetical order: Phil Berg (USA - PopularMechanics.com),
Richard Bremner (U.K. - cleangreencars.co.uk), Claus-Peter Koeth (Germany - automobil-industrie.de), Tadashi Tateuchi (Japan – Japan Electric Vehicle Club) and John Voelcker (USA - GreenCarReports.com)
The sixty-six member jury chose the following top three finalists for the 2013 World Green Car award: the Renault Zoe, the Tesla Model S and the Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid.
World Car Design of the Year
Cars eligible for the 2013 World Car Design of the Year award are taken from the list of World Car candidates or they may be included as a stand-alone entry provided the vehicle is introduced and available for sale in at least one major market during the period beginning January 1, 2012 and ending May 30th, 2013.
A design panel consisting of five highly respected world design experts was asked to first review each candidate, and then establish a short-list of recommendations for the jurors. The design experts were: Masatsugu Arimoto (Japan), Silvia Baruffaldi (Italy), Gernot Bracht (Germany), Sam Livingstone (UK) and Tom Matano (USA). Jurors then voted on the experts' recommendations.
The top three design finalists as chosen by the jurors are, in alphabetical order: the Aston Martin Vanquish, the Jaguar F-Type and the Mazda6. Aston Martin previously won the 2011 World Car Design of the Year award for the Aston Martin Rapide.
About the World Car Awards
Now in their ninth year, the annual World Car awards have become one of the world's most prestigious, credible and significant programs of its kind.
The awards were inaugurated in 2003, and officially launched in January 2004, to reflect the reality of the global marketplace, as well as to recognize and reward automotive excellence on an international scale. The awards are intended to complement, not compete, with existing national and regional Car of the Year programs.
The awards are administered by a non-profit association, under the guidance of a Steering Committee of pre-eminent automotive journalists from Asia, Europe, and North America. Peter Lyon (Japan) and Matt Davis (Italy) are the co-chairs; John McCormick (USA), Jens Meiners (Germany), Mike Rutherford (U.K.), Eddie Alterman (USA), and Gerry Malloy (Canada) are the directors. There is no affiliation with, nor are the awards in any way influenced by any publication, auto show, automaker, or other commercial enterprise.
Prime Research International, a global leader in strategic communication research and consultancy is the World Car Awards' research partner. The company will provide strategic reports in 2013 that analyze our awards global automotive media coverage.
---
In summary, this is the previous top 10:
The 2013 World Car of the Year will be selected from the following top ten cars listed in alphabetical order:
• Audi A3
• Land Rover Range Rover
• Mazda6
• Mazda CX5
• Mercedes-Benz A-Class
• Peugeot 208
• Porsche Boxster / Cayman
• Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ / Toyota GT 86 / Toyota 86
• Volkswagen Golf
• Volvo V40
The 2013 World Performance Car will be chosen from one of these top ten finalists:
• Aston Martin Vanquish
• Audi RS 5
• BMW M6 Coupe / Convertible
• BMW M 135i
• Ferrari F12 Berlinetta
• Mercedes-Benz SL 63 AMG
• Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster
• Porsche Boxster / Cayman
• Renault Clio Sport
• Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ / Toyota GT 86 / Toyota 86
And here are the top 4 and top 3 announced today:
The 2013 World Car of the Year will be selected from the following top ten cars listed in alphabetical order:
• Mercedes-Benz A-Class
• Porsche Boxster / Cayman
• Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ / Toyota GT 86 / Toyota 86
• Volkswagen Golf
The 2013 World Performance Car will be chosen from one of these top ten finalists:
• Ferrari F12 Berlinetta
• Porsche Boxster / Cayman
• Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ / Toyota GT 86 / Toyota 86
Top Finalists Announced in All World Car Awards Categories
GENEVA - March 5, 2013
At a press conference hosted by Bridgestone Corporation and the New York International Auto Show at the Geneva International Motor Show, the top finalists for the World Car of the Year, World Performance Car, World Green Car and World Car Design of the Year awards were announced today.
The overall winners in all categories will be declared at the New York International Auto Show on Thursday, March 28, 2013.
World Car of the Year
From an initial entry list of forty-two new vehicles from all over the world, then a short list of ten finalists, the top contenders for the overall 2013 World Car of the Year title have been revealed. "In the voting for this year's WCOTY award, we saw a very closely fought race which resulted in not three, but four finalists!" explained World Car Awards co-chair, Peter Lyon.
They are, in alphabetical order by manufacturer: Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Porsche Boxster / Cayman, the combined entry Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ / Toyota 86 / GT 86, and the Volkswagen Golf.
This is the second consecutive year that Volkswagen is in the top three position and the fourth time since 2009. The Volkswagen UP! was the 2012 World Car of the Year.
To be eligible for the overall World Car award, the candidates must become available for sale on at least two continents during the period beginning January 1, 2012 and ending May 30, 2013.
Vehicles are selected and voted on by an international jury panel comprised of sixty-six top-level automotive journalists from twenty-three countries around the world. Each juror was appointed by the World Car Steering Committee on the basis of his or her expertise, experience, credibility, and influence. Each juror typically drives and evaluates new vehicles on a regular basis as part of their professional work. All hold significant stature within their own regions and countries.
World Performance Car
The top three finalists for the 2013 World Performance Car award are, in alphabetical order: the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, Porsche Boxster / Cayman and the combined entry Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ / Toyota 86 / GT 86.
This is the seventh time out of eight that Porsche has secured a top three position. The Porsche 911 won last's year's World Performance Car title. It is the second time for Ferrari. The Ferrari 458 Italia won the 2011 World Performance Car award.
While the winner of the overall World Car award must excel in a broad range of attributes, the World Performance Car award must demonstrate a specific and overt sports/performance orientation while satisfying the same availability criteria as for the overall World Car of the Year award.
Entrants may be chosen from that list of eligible vehicles, or they may be newly introduced variants that satisfy the same criteria, but are derived from existing rather than brand-new models. In all cases, they must have a minimum annual production rate of five-hundred (500) vehicles.
World Green Car
The World Green Car award is presented by Bridgestone Corporation (Japan). Ryoji Yamada, General Manager of Brand Management said, "We are very pleased and honoured to sponsor the 2013 World Green Car award. The environment is everyone's responsibility. And throughout our global family of companies, we take this responsibility very seriously. We believe it is our mission to serve society with superior quality... not just with eco-friendly products but also in the way we produce those products and the way in which we support our many communities with environ mentally-friendly activities such as wildlife habitats and our Lake Biwa initiative in Japan".
Due to the complexity of some of the 'green' technologies, five green experts were appointed by the World Car Steering Committee to extensively review all documentation and specs associated with each candidate. They then create a short-list of finalists for review by the sixty-six (66) jurors in their second round of voting in February. The five green experts were in alphabetical order: Phil Berg (USA - PopularMechanics.com),
Richard Bremner (U.K. - cleangreencars.co.uk), Claus-Peter Koeth (Germany - automobil-industrie.de), Tadashi Tateuchi (Japan – Japan Electric Vehicle Club) and John Voelcker (USA - GreenCarReports.com)
The sixty-six member jury chose the following top three finalists for the 2013 World Green Car award: the Renault Zoe, the Tesla Model S and the Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid.
World Car Design of the Year
Cars eligible for the 2013 World Car Design of the Year award are taken from the list of World Car candidates or they may be included as a stand-alone entry provided the vehicle is introduced and available for sale in at least one major market during the period beginning January 1, 2012 and ending May 30th, 2013.
A design panel consisting of five highly respected world design experts was asked to first review each candidate, and then establish a short-list of recommendations for the jurors. The design experts were: Masatsugu Arimoto (Japan), Silvia Baruffaldi (Italy), Gernot Bracht (Germany), Sam Livingstone (UK) and Tom Matano (USA). Jurors then voted on the experts' recommendations.
The top three design finalists as chosen by the jurors are, in alphabetical order: the Aston Martin Vanquish, the Jaguar F-Type and the Mazda6. Aston Martin previously won the 2011 World Car Design of the Year award for the Aston Martin Rapide.
About the World Car Awards
Now in their ninth year, the annual World Car awards have become one of the world's most prestigious, credible and significant programs of its kind.
The awards were inaugurated in 2003, and officially launched in January 2004, to reflect the reality of the global marketplace, as well as to recognize and reward automotive excellence on an international scale. The awards are intended to complement, not compete, with existing national and regional Car of the Year programs.
The awards are administered by a non-profit association, under the guidance of a Steering Committee of pre-eminent automotive journalists from Asia, Europe, and North America. Peter Lyon (Japan) and Matt Davis (Italy) are the co-chairs; John McCormick (USA), Jens Meiners (Germany), Mike Rutherford (U.K.), Eddie Alterman (USA), and Gerry Malloy (Canada) are the directors. There is no affiliation with, nor are the awards in any way influenced by any publication, auto show, automaker, or other commercial enterprise.
Prime Research International, a global leader in strategic communication research and consultancy is the World Car Awards' research partner. The company will provide strategic reports in 2013 that analyze our awards global automotive media coverage.
---
In summary, this is the previous top 10:
The 2013 World Car of the Year will be selected from the following top ten cars listed in alphabetical order:
• Audi A3
• Land Rover Range Rover
• Mazda6
• Mazda CX5
• Mercedes-Benz A-Class
• Peugeot 208
• Porsche Boxster / Cayman
• Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ / Toyota GT 86 / Toyota 86
• Volkswagen Golf
• Volvo V40
The 2013 World Performance Car will be chosen from one of these top ten finalists:
• Aston Martin Vanquish
• Audi RS 5
• BMW M6 Coupe / Convertible
• BMW M 135i
• Ferrari F12 Berlinetta
• Mercedes-Benz SL 63 AMG
• Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster
• Porsche Boxster / Cayman
• Renault Clio Sport
• Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ / Toyota GT 86 / Toyota 86
And here are the top 4 and top 3 announced today:
The 2013 World Car of the Year will be selected from the following top ten cars listed in alphabetical order:
• Mercedes-Benz A-Class
• Porsche Boxster / Cayman
• Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ / Toyota GT 86 / Toyota 86
• Volkswagen Golf
The 2013 World Performance Car will be chosen from one of these top ten finalists:
• Ferrari F12 Berlinetta
• Porsche Boxster / Cayman
• Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ / Toyota GT 86 / Toyota 86
Lowered on some big wheels and that limited silver color will pop!
04-03-13, 03:11 PM
#2802
BRZ has the bracket-style LED DRL similar in shape to those in the Audi Q7.
I would love to get the 10 series FRS, but I would still change the badges to Toyota.
04-13-13, 10:53 PM
#2803
^^ That's what I meant, my bad! I know a few guys stateside have imported the 86 headlights! Either way, both look great and those 86 headlights should be standard!
Also, just going to leave this here...
Also, just going to leave this here...
04-15-13, 12:43 AM
#2805
I know the engine is in the wrong place and it has a "back seat", but does the BRZ/GT-86 remind anybody else of this car made about 25 years ago . . . .
Really this is the spiritual predecessor to the GT-86, not the rear drive AE-86 Corolla. It was a purpose built sports car, designed to be affordable, not a lot of hp. The AE-86 was kind of a hot rod version of a basic econo-box. Call me crazy, but I'd rather have a worked over t-top 1st gen MR2 over the new BRZ/GT-86, if we are talking just a fun toy car.
Really this is the spiritual predecessor to the GT-86, not the rear drive AE-86 Corolla. It was a purpose built sports car, designed to be affordable, not a lot of hp. The AE-86 was kind of a hot rod version of a basic econo-box. Call me crazy, but I'd rather have a worked over t-top 1st gen MR2 over the new BRZ/GT-86, if we are talking just a fun toy car.