Report: Toyota plans budget sports car line
Toyota MR2 Sports Hybrid Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
Akio Toyoda may want to bring driving excitement back to Toyota, but he and his team have two major hurdles to overcome: The brands's limited enthusiast base and the fact that Japan's youth have very little interest in cars.
To combat both fronts, Toyota plans to launch a new line of budget-oriented vehicles that offer a modicum of sport. But so far, things don't look too promising.
Despite debuting an FT-86-based concept at this year's Tokyo Auto Salon, Toyota's G Sports line of products have mainly focused on the Voxy and Noah minivans, while a "sports" version of the Prius is apparently in the works.
More interestingly, the Mainichi Daily News reports that a version of the GRMN sports car concept has been given the greenlight, meaning a mid-engined hybrid successor to the MR2 is in the works.
All these developments come after Toyota established a sports vehicle management division in January, which now has a hand in the brand's overall product planning. We should get a look at the fruits of their labors during next year's auto show season and could see this new breed of budget sports vehicles on the market – at least in Japan – within the next few years.
Gallery: Toyota MR2 Sports Hybrid
[Source: Mainchi Daily News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Zmatt 6:29PM (9/05/2010)
so a "sport" prius and a hyrbid mr2. Doesn't sound that fun to me. I want to see more than 4 cylinders and some turbos.
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Alex 6:51PM (9/05/2010)
What's wrong with boosted 4s? If Toyota truly does plan on making a budget sports car line, turbo charged four cylinders are going to be the best bet. Lotus certainly doesn't seem to be hurting with Toyota's four bangers.
Zmatt 7:44PM (9/05/2010)
it's fine is you are making cars the size of the mr2 or hopped up corollas, but bigger more powerful cars like Supras and Zs need something more substantial.
miketim1 10:48PM (9/05/2010)
Its the new kind of fun.
Imagine if "fun" would have stayed the same as 50 years ago. .
miamilogin1 11:57PM (9/05/2010)
staying away from anything Toyota. have fun with your crapola cars.
John H. 8:38AM (9/06/2010)
So now, Toyota's copying Honda's CR-Z? Great, that's what we've all been waiting for..
Peter L 10:07AM (9/06/2010)
Nothing wrong with a four, turbos not needed
Just light weight and good suspension and weight distrubution
http://www.flickr.com/photos/d70w7/4851595688/in/set-72157624509055211/
Temple 11:32AM (9/06/2010)
That "MR2" makes 400hp from a hybrid V6 and weighs 2866 pounds (that's a 100hp more power and 100 lbs less weight then Porsche Boxster S); it also has an e-AWD.
This car is a continuation of the Toyota Volta sportscar they designed with Italdesign Giugiaro. In concept its closer to the Porsche 918 Hybrid supercar then a CR-Z or Prius.
nick.allain 6:35PM (9/05/2010)
Wasn't this Scion?
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hokieflea 7:08PM (9/05/2010)
Thats what i thought.... apparently not?
theblackemblem 7:20PM (9/05/2010)
Scions are affordable.
They never said that the cars were affordable AND performance oriented.
But you know, the badge could SERIOUSLY use a cheap sports car right now. Not a redone Toyota Avensis, and not a hatchback that looks bloated...
Zamafir 7:35PM (9/05/2010)
No. Never. Scion was marketed as a sporty budget alternative but turn the key on any model an you're left with just that, marketing fluff. It would seemtoyotas run out of platitudes and buzz words and might actually be trying now. Pity they ever let the mr2 or even the last celica die. They already had these bases covered.
Zweben 7:32PM (9/05/2010)
"Budget sports car line" is what Scion should have been. Instead, they just made a line of cheap cars targeted towards young people, one of which ended up moderately sporty, the other two not even remotely.
If I were Toyota, I'd kill off the xD, slap a Toyota badge on the xB and make the tC the entry level model in a repositioned, sportier Scion brand. Add the FT-86 higher up in the lineup and you start to have a respectable brand.
jrm125 6:41PM (9/05/2010)
come on supra...
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Man without pants 6:43PM (9/05/2010)
How about making the "Sport" version of their cars mean something more than plastic body panels and different wheels?
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hashiryu 7:57AM (9/06/2010)
Dear God, a million times THIS!!!!!!!
ugh, whatever happened to the days when the XRS had over 50hp more than the regular corolla and a totally different character?
fixitfixitstop 11:34AM (9/06/2010)
I don't know, man. That TRD oil cap takes at least 0.5sec off the 0-60 time.
geo.stewart 12:02PM (9/06/2010)
hash,
I thought I was the only one left who remembered the 180hp XRS, the engine from the celica. the only downside was you could only get AWD with the small engine. WTH
but yes. XRS used to mean something, then it didnt, then it went away. now we have Corolla S, which seems to be the only trim level based on what I see on the road. And while the body work *looks* nice, the fact that you have the same wheel gap as on the standard and the bottom of the trim doesnt look to be any closer to the ground makes me wonder just how hopped up the regular Corolla is? I mean, is the Caprice in 15 yrs, where certain groups will put a lift kit and 26" rims on it?
The body kit on the Avalon looks fine. lowers the distance from the ground to the car, without much suspension work but its a luxury so thats okay.
razrrick13 6:49PM (9/05/2010)
I'm kind of hoping these vehicles along with the FT-86 will be released sometime during my lifetime...
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Awjvail 6:50PM (9/05/2010)
It'd be interesting to see what Toyota can do to compete with the CR-Z. Toyota at least has hybrid technology that is worth a damn, so I'm sure it'd achieve decent fuel economy.
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