It looks like Toyota->ke88 is feeling a little left out in the performance-brand realm. Honda->ke34 has long used the Si line, Subaru->ke86 has the STI line, BMW->ke178 has its M-Series->ke546, Mercedes->ke187 has its AMG->ke8 lineup and Infiniti has its IPL line, but Toyota has never really had its own performance lineup. It looks like things are about to change for the Japanese automaker, as Auto Express interviewed Toyota of Europe's VP, Karl Schlicht, and he claimed that "We're currently discussing sport lines for Toyota models."
There is no mention of exactly what this new sub-brand would be called, but we -- and everyone else -- assume it will carry the TMG badge, which is short for Toyota Motorsport Gmbh -- Toyota's racing division. There is also no mention on whether this is a Europe-only project, or if Toyota has plans to extend this sub-brand to the U.S.
What the Toyota Europe VP did make clear was that the Toyota Yaris Hybrid-R super-hatchback->ke304 will not make its way to production. That's really no huge surprise, but it is still a depressing confirmation for Toyota's star of the Frankfurt Auto Show->ke235.
We'll deliver more information as it becomes available.
Click past the jump to read about the most recent road-ready concept that TMG released at the Essen Motor Show, the TMG Sports 650 Concept.
Toyota unveiled the Lexus LS-based TMG Sports 650 Concept at the 2012 Essen Motor Show, allowing Toyota Motorsport Gmbh (TMG) to show what it can do with a road-ready vehicle. And it did so by turning in a 650-horsepower sedan that featured an aggressive body kit and a fire-breathing 5.0-liter V-8 with 765 Nm, (564 pound-feet) of torque. The powerhouse eight-cylinder engine hooked up to an eight-speed that helps launch it to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.9 seconds and to a top speed of 320 km/h (199 mph).