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2013 Toyota 86 / Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ

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#1 · (Edited)
Toyota/Subaru Lightweight Sports Car
Best Car Scoop - A few weeks ago on September 3rd, Daily Car Newspaper (Japan) reported on an interview with Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe and his announcement of a joint Toyota-Subaru ‘Entry Level Sports Car’ which is underway and in it’s initial development phase, with a test mule spotted on a test course at Toyota’s headquarters in Toyota City.

The Test Mule

The test mule is actually still very early in it’s development and in its experimental stage being based on a shortened Subaru Legacy chassis and running a SOHC 2.0L flat-four engine. Best Car isn’t aware of any wheelbase measurements at this time, but going by reports the test mule chassis is around 200mm shorter than it’s Legacy donor platform. The Legacy underpinnings are for experimental purposes only as the new Toyota Lightweight Sports Car will actually be based on a shortened Impreza 15S platform which is better suited to a smaller 1.5 - 2.0L (flat-four) engine and has ‘rear wheel drive friendly’ double wishbone rear suspension. The test mule is in very early stages with the car running the aforementioned 2.0L SOHC engine and a 4WD driveline (without front drive shafts) so it isn’t undergoing any serious performance driving tests at this point in time. Apparently Toyota has the ability to have this new lightweight sports car ready and on the market by the end of next year… if only they were so inclined. Instead, a lot of effort is being put into getting the most performance while keeping the retail price below 2,000,000 yen.

Why a 1.5L engine?

Price seems to be the limiting factor regarding the type of engine, and therefore total weight, of the Toyota Lightweight Sports Car. Best Car has been told that if a larger 2.0L engine were to be used, the cost of the car would definitely rise above the 2,000,000 yen limit and would then not live up to its ‘Entry Level Sports Car’ namesake. Also the rear differential sourced from Subaru (from the Impreza 15S) has been cited as a weak link, it being limited to engines of 2.0L capacity or under for reliability concerns. The 1.5L engine - named ‘EL15′ - is a DOHC flat-four powerplant and is also noted for producing less emissions than it’s larger SOHC sibling which is another important criteria that Toyota is trying to address. The EL15 only puts out 110ps @ 6,400rpm and 14.7kg/m @ 3,200rpm so Toyota is doing its best to lighten the chassis and body as much as possible in order to give the car a reasonable amount of performance. Just how much weight can be shed? Toyota is aiming for 1100kg and no more… this is another reason why the 2.0L engine was rejected as the larger engine would dictate a heavier chassis which in turn would exceed the 1100kg (total vehicle) weight limit by 100kg or more, even with considerable weight reduction. Only so much weight can be shed, and only so much can be done to keep the Lightweight Sports Car within the 2,000,000 yen limit so Toyota has a big job on its hands to address these issues and will certainly be an ongoing problem throughout the development cycle.

Possible WRC Challenger?

Best Car hints at a possible WRC challenger in the making! Toyota could easily use Subaru STi engines and 4WD chassis together with the lightweight FR body for an assault on the World Rally Championship. This is just wishful thinking at this stage but Best Car sees no reason why this wouldn’t be a possibility.
Toyobaru or Subayota?
 
#181 ·
#182 · (Edited)
The "Toyobaru" is "Still on Track"
If you've recently read a story or two about the delay, or even the demise, of the compact sport coupe that Toyota and Subaru are jointly working on, don't believe it. That's the message from knowledgeable PR sources in Japan, who tell Inside Line that this intriguing sports car program is still very much on track.

Both representatives from Toyota and Subaru's press offices in Tokyo have recently denied the story. "The project is still on track, according to the info I have on hand," says a Toyota spokesperson.

What has changed is the production site. The original idea was for Subaru to build a completely new factory in Oizumi, in Japan's Gunma prefecture, to build the car. But the economic crisis has now prompted Subaru to can that project, so the Toyobaru, when it is built, will be made inside Subaru's long-serving Gunma main plant, which is now due to be refurbished.
Believe what you will.
 
#184 ·
Toyobaru RWD rumoured to be named Celica!

:fawk: Looks like they will be reviving the name once and for all.... obviously we all know about the car but now that it's actually called Celica it takes on a whole different meaning to the members of this forum. I guess it's all in the name....

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/23/report-toyota-reviving-celica-name-for-joint-subaru-rwd-car/

The last report about the on again/off again sports car being developed jointly by Toyota and Subaru was that it's on again. Today comes word from L'Automobile in France that not only is the rear-wheel-drive Toyubaru going to happen, but it will arrive bearing the Celica name sometime in 2010. If Wikipedia is to be believed, this would be the eighth generation of the Celica, which traces its roots all the way back to 1970 when it debuted in Japan as an inexpensive rear-wheel-drive sports car. Through the years it switched to front- and all-wheel drive, with the final seventh generation Celica sold from 2000 - 2005 being a strict cart puller. L'Automobile claims that Thierry Dombreval, Toyota's VP of sales and marketing in France, spilled the beans on reviving the Celica name, so we won't consider this news solid until a second source comes forward or Toyota officially confirms it, neither of which is likely to happen. So for now all you Celica fans should just sit tight and light a few candles for your cause.
 
#193 ·
Toyota is going to show this concept on the 2009 Tokyo Auto Show in October.

Another highlight of the Toyota stand will be the reveal of a project rumored to have been put on hold — the Toyota-Subaru jointly developed rear-wheel-drive coupe that employs an Impreza platform and drivetrain. To improve mileage and emissions of the current normally aspirated four-cylinder boxer engine, Toyota has developed a unique head unit for the boxer power plant, said to generate around 220 horsepower. Toyota will also display a full range of hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles as well as the latest EV and battery technology.
 
#194 ·
Lies.

If the FT-HS came out as the supra with a hybrid option, people would have eaten that car up for breakfast with steadily increasing sales, assuming the interior, performance, and reliability were OK to the competitors. 6 Cylinders and 30 mpg in a RWD sports car would have been a great selling point.

If they can't TRD this up, or throw some scion badges on it to hype it up to kids, oh well. I bet the NA variant will go to scion, and the hybrid variant will stay with Toyota. But I doubt that since that would attack prius sales. A hybrid 370z fighter with 30 mpg would be a better choice.
 
#195 ·
There is always a big difference between what youngsters want and what they actually buy!
Supra cost around $40,000 when the dollar had more value. Too expensive for a student. That's why people didn't buy it.

You can go and buy Lexus IS-F with 416hp for $56,000 or Lexus GS Hybrid with 340hp for $56,000. Do you have enough money?
 
#196 ·
I remember late '99 when the 7th gen first hit. The looks really were polarizing at that time. Folks either loved it or hated it.

I drove by the local dealership every day for two weeks when the SCC article came out on it. After that, I know I WANTED to like the looks more. It wasn't another 2 wks when I started to call local dealerships and ask about the as-yet unarrived GT-S model.

This time around it looks like too little power and that prior-gen Ford Focus rear fender is a huge turn-off. *Shrugs* I guess, since Subaru's involved, it had to be beaten with the ugly stick. *Laugh*

But, remember, back in late '99, the GT-S stickered for right at 25K or so.

Even if they dropped a 2zz in it, you'd get 7th-gen GT-S speed, but I can't imagine the car would handle or look/feel as nice.

Time will tell if it grows on me or if they put any decent drivetrain in it.
 
#197 ·
More "news" on the 086A

http://www.7tune.com/086a-to-use-new-legacy-base/

The Second Coming..

With rumors of cancellations and postponements abound for the new Toyota/Subaru sports car, new rumors have sprung up showing that Toyota are still in fact keeping to plan and not letting the global financial crisis get in the way of development.


New Legacy Base

With the green light on for a new coupe to follow in the footsteps of the
 
#198 ·
I'd rather see a Toyota-only effort. I don't understand their aversion to doing it...
 
#200 · (Edited)
Update!

2012 Toyota/Subaru Sports Coupe
If this future car truly is a reincarnation of the AE86, Toyota and Subaru will have a big hit on their hands.

In fact, most of the engineering seems to be coming from the company known for its all-wheel-drive rally cars. Powering the future coupe will be Subaru's 2.0-liter flat-4 equipped with a new direct-injection system, tuned to produce an impressive 200 bhp and 145 lb.-ft. of torque. We predict the car will weigh about 2700 lb., so expect fairly quick acceleration times, probably around 6.0 sec. to 60 mph. The suspension will consist of MacPherson struts up front and a multilink setup at the rear, with the chassis based on that of the Subaru Impreza and Legacy.

Toyota will mainly be in charge of the car's styling. Although both Toyota and Subaru versions will be offered, the two models won't look much different, apart from badging — think Toyota Matrix and Pontiac Vibe.
No new info about the car, with the exception of this new rendering.
 
#203 ·
Where are you getting these updates from?

What would it take to boost the 2.0l is the next question - along with, "Will it be available in AWD?"
 
#205 ·
Looks like a nice chop of a new Prius, a 7th Gen celica, a TC and a Camry
 
#209 · (Edited)
Another rendering.


The car's silhouette looks a lot like the LF-A, only shrunk down. It has a very classic sports car look with a long hood and short deck. The height of the car is incredibly low, and it has a pretty wide stance. It is very small, about the size of a Celica, but because of it's proportions and width, it gives the illusion that it isn't that small.

The Toyota insider has apparently been sitting on this information for quite some time and has only now decided to come forward with it after seeing conflicting information in the Japanese press about two different body styles being tested. The insider claims he has seen the 086A and is adamant that only one body style will be offered and that body style will differ only very slightly between the Toyota and Subaru versions, such as the front grille, head/tail light treatment and badges. When the insider was asked about the appearance of the 086A, he clearly pointed out that it will be lower and wider than the old ZZT231 Celica and will have an “orthodox 2+2 coupe style, with a shillouette resembling the Lexus LF-A”. The renders above show what the 086A could look like with lines similar to the LF-A.

ToMoCo's new president, Akio Toyoda – the exec who recently piloted the LF-A around the Green Hell during the 24 Hours of N
 
#212 ·
I hope that's the final word on it.

"086A" is supposed to be the new Hachiroku, yet it's lineage is of the Celica's? Most of it it based off of following the ZZT230/1. :shrugs:
 
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