Toyota confirmed 3 sports car lineup: Toyota exec wants to bring back Celica, MR2

[Sun Devil]

Nothing new here.

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[HKz]

..while it seems like things are heading in the right direction for Toyota, I can't help but feel some doubt..what happened to the supposed performance models of the Corolla and Yaris? The Yaris was shown in Geneva but there seemed to be very little hope about whether it would see production days let alone whether it would be sold in the US..the Corolla was nowhere to be seen and now the S-FR will be a mid-engined MR2 successor after all the concepts thus far have been FR 2+2s...wouldn't that make it S-MR now?

 

[Supraman]

Unless they show an MR-2 concept at Tokyo, I think this is a mix of really old news brought back to light swapping the S-FR to an MR-2 successor to make it look like new NEWS. From what Toyota has actually shown us the line up will be: FT-1 production car + 86 + S-FR production car.

I fear we're heading into a windmill of 'news/leaked info' aka = click bait for the next few months. So many articles with Tada San said this and that have come out but who knows what really holds true weight...But I guess it's somewhat entertaining for the time being.

 

[gymratter]

Unless they show an MR-2 concept at Tokyo, I think this is a mix of really old news brought back to light swapping the S-FR to an MR-2 successor to make it look like new NEWS. From what Toyota has actually shown us the line up will be: FT-1 production car + 86 + S-FR production car.

I fear we're heading into a windmill of 'news/leaked info' aka = click bait for the next few months. So many articles with Tada San said this and that have come out but who knows what really holds true weight...But I guess it's somewhat entertaining for the time being.

yup, sounds like more rehash rumors of a "mid engine BMW & Toyota/Lexus sports car".

http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/spy-shots/lexus/toyota-and-bmw-project-silk-road-2-new-supra-z7/

 

[Villa Jonny]

This is getting exhausting. I just want the damn Supra already..

 

[Sun Devil]

This is getting exhausting. I just want the damn Supra already..

I agree. Tetsuya Tada ..... if you are watching these forums. You won. You've built up plenty of FT-1 expectations. How about throwing us a bone? Give us some real information instead of all this click bait.

 

[Supraman]

^Anyone from Toyota that knows the true insights must be reading these forums/articles going
'Where do they come up with this stuff '

 

[HKz]

^Anyone from Toyota that knows the true insights must be reading these forums/articles going
'Where do they come up with this stuff '

who knows, they might be in the dark as much as we are. we have never seen tada-san even touch one of these mules, let alone see a single asian sit in any of them. What is tada-san's job for this project exactly?

 

[Supraman]

Haha good point. Possibly corrected.

^Anyone from BMW that knows the true insights must be reading these forums/articles going
'Where do they come up with this stuff '

 

[gymratter]

New Toyota Supra on its way – FT-1 previews what new sports car might look like before its 2018 reveal

Toyota has confirmed that it will re-launch the Supra, its front-engined sports car that went off sale in 2002. The new car will be part of a three-strong family of performance cars that the marque will offer. The Supra will sit at the top of the group and be the biggest and most powerful of the trio. An MR2 replacement will be the smallest and lightest while the GT86, which will be subject to constant development, will fill the gap between the two new cars.

Just because it will be Toyota’s largest, flagship performance model don’t think for a minute that the new Supra will be a ponderous and heavy beast. Toyota engineer and Gazoo Racing chief, Teysuya Tada, told evo what we could expect from the new sports car, and very promising it was too: 'A Supra should be lighter than it’s rivals.' Personally speaking, my favourite Porsche is the Boxster and Cayman, although I am a little disappointed with the four-cylinder engine. The Cayman helps a lot of us here to make a sports car.'

A heavily camouflaged version of the next generation Supra has already been spotted testing, and we expect the new car to be revealed next year. Exact details of the car’s specification aren’t know yet, however Toyota has divulged that it will be built on a platform that it has co-developed with BMW.

Rumours suggest that the Supra may also use one of the Munich manufacturers straight-six engines, too. Tada’s disappointment with the 718 Cayman’s lack of cylinders suggests that even if the Supra doesn’t use a BMW six-pot, it may end up with more than four pistons.

Toyota is also open to creating a hybrid sports car, and the new Supra might include a supplementary electric motor. However, this is part of the company’s long-term plan so we expect the Supra to be powered by a petrol engine alone to begin with.

Our biggest clue to what the new Supra might look like has been the FT-1 concept car that made its debut at the 2014 Detroit motor show. The camouflaged test car showed a profile and strong central nose similar to that of the FT-1.

Toyota calls the FT-1 'a symbol that captures elements of the emotion and energy' of future products. Originally penned by CALTY Design Research, Toyota's California-based American design team, who took their influence from classic Toyota sports cars like the 2000GT and Celica.

http://www.evo.co.uk/toyota/13960/n...ws-what-new-sports-car-might-look-like-before

 

[HKz]

http://www.evo.co.uk/toyota/13960/n...ws-what-new-sports-car-might-look-like-before

they couldn't even be bothered to spell Tetsuya's name correctly...legit. Still not sure how tada-san would know such info when no one from toyota has bothered to go out for a test drive in any of the mules

 

[Supra93]

Same recycled stuff, but I figured I might as well post it here before someone starts a new thread.

http://www.evo.co.uk/toyota/gt-86/1...otas-three-strong-sports-car-lineup-is-coming

Full interview with Tetsuya Tada

Why is Toyota suddenly producing enthusiast-led cars again?

'Some time ago Toyota became number one in terms of units sold, producing very practical and environmentally friendly vehicles only. I myself was chief engineer on one. But at shows or drives with journalists I’d be asked if I was enjoying these dull cars: to be honest, we did think it was a bit boring.

'There was a period when, if we tried to create a nice car that we wanted as engineers there would then be instructions from higher up to hurry along to launch and reduce costs for more profit. Then Akio Toyoda became CEO, and it all turned upside down.

'He said of course making many units is important, but perhaps more important – for engineers - is to have passion in creating a vehicle. That started some years ago and now you’re seeing the results of that.'

Will we see a return to the three-tier Toyota performance car range, as in the days of the Supra, Celica and MR2?

'We hope to have the three brothers in place as soon as possible.'

What can you tell evo about the new MR2?

'For a sports car, simple is best. But after 2020 there will be many environmental and noise regulations. It will be an era when it’ll be very difficult to create a simple sports car as you know it. But our underlying thought of going into Le Mans is that there are possibilities to use new technology to make such a (sports) car, and we’re working very hard to do it.

'When it comes to installing batteries, the mid ship layout is an attractive one. We hope to come out with such a model one day.'

What about a fully electric sports car?

'An EV Sports? That’s difficult to answer. For me the most important element of a sports car is how light you can make it. A Tesla is very good for acceleration, but very different to the light feel of a GT86 – and that’s my definition of a sports car. If there are further improvements to motors and batteries, then it could be made.'

What kind of car will the new Toyota Supra be?

'A Supra should be lighter than it’s rivals. Personally speaking, my favourite Porsche is the Boxster and Cayman, although I am a little disappointed with the four-cylinder engine. The Cayman helps a lot of us here to make a sports car.'

Can we expect any more developments with the GT86?

'The most important thing with a sports car is you must not stop development, every year, even if they are small things.

'The concept of the GT86 was intentionally not to be obsessed with the tyres, like you normally would be with a sports car. We tried to take the contrary approach. However, last year in Japan we did launch a model that emphasised the tyre – the GT86 GRNM. We put out 100 units, cooperating with Bridgestone to develop a special tyre for it, with new suspension and bodywork to complement it. There was also some more power from TRD.'

Will you be expanding your range of rally cars, particularly given the strong start to the WRC campaign?

'We are already studying the possibility of having R5, R3 and R2 cars ready for customers.'

Why produce the Yaris GRNM?

'This is Toyota’s first rally car for 17 years, and right from when we had the thought of coming back we thought of producing a commemorative model. Of course, compared to the days of the (Celica) GT4, the gap between the road car and the rally car is quite big, but we felt we could get some of the ambience of the rally car and provide it to our customers.'

 

[Yoyoma]

New article by EVO

March 27, 2017

http://www.evo.co.uk/toyota/13960/n...ws-what-new-sports-car-might-look-like-before

As part of Toyota’s plan to release a trio of performance cars, it will re-launch the Supra in 2018. The next-generation Supra will sit at the top of the new group of sports cars and be the biggest, most powerful model of the three. A replacement for Toyota’s small roadster, the MR2 will be the smallest and lightest while the GT86, which will be subject to constant development, will fill the gap between the two new cars.

The old Supra went off sale in 2002, but it still remains a popular with car enthusiasts thanks to an abundance of tuning parts and for its ability to produce quite ludicrous amounts of power from its robust turbocharged straight-six engine.

Just because the new Supra will be Toyota’s largest, flagship performance model don’t think for a minute that it will be a ponderous and heavy beast. Toyota engineer and Gazoo Racing chief, Teysuya Tada, told evo what we could expect from the new sports car, and very promising it was too: 'A Supra should be lighter than it’s rivals. Personally speaking, my favourite Porsche is the Boxster and Cayman, although I am a little disappointed with the four-cylinder engine. The Cayman helps a lot of us here to make a sports car.'

A heavily camouflaged version of the next generation Supra has already been spotted testing, and we expect the new car to be revealed next year. Exact details of the car’s specification aren’t know yet, however Toyota has divulged that it will be built on a platform that it has co-developed with BMW.

Initial rumours suggest that the Supra may also use one of the Munich manufacturers straight-six engines. However, that seems unlikely now but the origins of the gossip probably stems from Toyotas contempt for a lack of pistons. Tada’s disappointment with the 718 Cayman’s lack of cylinders suggests that the Supra may end up with more than four pistons.

Unlike Toyota’s back-to-basics sports car, the GT86, we expect the new Supra to be powered by a much more high-tech drivetrain. Toyota has admitted it is also open to creating a hybrid sports car at some point in the future, but because this is part of the company’s long term plan, we expect the Supra to be petrol-only initially. A hybrid version may follow later, but our conversation with Tada revealed he was very excited about the idea of a mid-engined hybrid sports car. Expect the next MR2 to get a supplementary electric motor before the front-engined Supra.

Rather than a full hybrid system, the new Supra may use electrics to gently help increase the performance of its petrol engine. Toyota has applied for a patent for an electric supercharger, the plans are in depth and suggest the technology is close to being production ready; possibly in time for the Supra’s 2018 launch.

The application shows a standalone electric compressor, but unlike the one used in the Audi SQ7, Toyota’s solution uses, what looks like, a turbine and compressor housing from a conventional turbocharger. Rather than the turbine shaft being spun by exhaust gasses though, an electric motor generates the movement.

Current Formula 1 cars use a similar system to increase power and reduce turbo lag, but rather than being solely powered by electrics the turbos on F1 cars use both an electric motor and exhaust gasses. There’s no indication, though, that Toyota’s electric compressor will enhance a turbocharger or be an independent unit.

Our biggest clue to what the new Supra might look like has been the FT-1 concept car that made its debut at the 2014 Detroit motor show. The camouflaged test car showed a profile and strong central nose similar to that of the FT-1.

Toyota calls the FT-1 'a symbol that captures elements of the emotion and energy' of future products. Originally penned by CALTY Design Research, Toyota's California-based American design team, who took their influence from classic Toyota sports cars like the 2000GT and Celica.

The latest images show the FT-1 painted in graphite metallic paintwork rather than the red hue seen on the original concept, the CALTY team also transformed the interior. The previous red and black theme has made way for saddle tan leather, giving the cabin a more 'sophisticated' feel.

Toyota says its designers drew inspiration from modern superhero films for the FT-1's cockpit, drawing on the use of high-tech materials rather than the bright, garish colours of comic book characters. To this end, CALTY went as far as comparing leather thicknesses, grain size and textures to find the perfect combination for the FT-1's simple, driver-focused cabin.

Seats are punctuated with a raised metal mesh for both ventilation and texture, and Toyota touts the 3D, technical look of the instrument panel's embossed graphic finish.

'We wanted the driver to have a feeling of flow while at the wheel – to be able to focus on the road and nothing else,' explains Selene Lee, a CALTY designer. 'Our aim was to ensure everything supported the driver through efficient choices' Lee adds, noting the new colour choices have the same 'in the zone' feel as before, with a greater premium air.

Drivers themselves won't get to experience this 'in the zone' feel unless they fire up the PlayStation, as the latest FT-1 concept will make its rolling debut on Gran Turismo 6 for the PlayStation 3.

Three versions of the FT-1 – the red Detroit concept, the new graphite model, and a high-performance 'Vision GT' model – will be available to download from September via the Playstation Store.

 

[Craigy]

Kinda strange article. It's reporting the silver car as if it's something new. I think they're talking about the old car.

 

[BrettS]

Seems like the article was pieced together with new and old news

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