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Toyota must have realized that their cars were pretty boring, so the Japanese company is set to release a few hybrid sports cars. There will be two coming with names that should sound pretty familiar to car lovers. The first will be the MR2 and the second will be the fabulous Supra. The MR2 should be here around 2013 and it will feature a hybrid 1.5-liter petrol engine. The car was originally going to get a V6 hybrid, but after the strong sales of the Honda CR-Z, Toyota has decided a four pot was the better option. The Supra was thought to be dead, but the strong sales of hybrid cars have brought it back again. The new Supra will be powered by a V6 hybrid motor, similar to the FT-HS concept on which the car is based. Of course this is not exactly a new piece of news considering we caught wind of this vision back in 2008, but now it seems that the vision has progressed to a full blown project in the new Supra. Hit the jump for the full story including what may be interesting competition for the MR2 and Supra. These models come in the wake of the FT-86 delay, which is now scheduled for 2013 as well. Toyota’s hybrid sports cars will face some serious competition, as Honda, Nissan, and Mitsubishi are planning hybrid sports cars of their own. Nissan’s sports hybrid will use the Leaf for key mechanical and design elements. The car will also use a few cues from the Landglider, but it probably won’t be able to lean into corners. The car is due to launch in 2014. Mitsubishi is working on a two-door sports version of the i-MiEV, which is due to launch in 2012. The company is also planning a hybrid version of the Evo. The only Japanese company that hasn’t joined the pack is Mazda. The new MX-5 is set to launch in 2012, but it will most likely get a four-cylinder motor or the new SkyG engine. 34 comments: Toyota to launch new Supra and MR2 Hyundai is really on a roll. Toyota and Honda must be really worried. Except for the badge Hyundai are more or less in the same category as the former.
 Well, i have a lot of hills to climb. So, power to weight ratio is just as important as handling, but so is torque to weight ratio. Sure, the right transmission would make up for the torque with a high reving engine, but a little extra torque is always wellcomed.
 The IS-F V8 in its current state would make a great engine for a base model Supra, but if it is to be the world’s fastest track car as it once was, it needs an engine that’s up to the task. A stripped-down version with the 1LR-GUE would be needed to reclaim the title the Supra once held.
No matter what, i guess the car would be in a priceleague, where the extra cost for your standart convinient features would be a very small fraction of the total price. Installing a handmade racing engine and saving on on powerstearing, that arguebly could be called a safetyfeature doesn’t make sense from an econimical point of view. After all, we are talking about a ROADgoing track car.
The problem with offering power features is that it dramatically increases the price of the car, and most true enthusiasts don’t need them. Offering them as optional equipment would be fine, but comfort and convenience features needn’t be standard for a serious track car.
Well, i like your idea. Especially with manual transmission, that i miss in a lot of new cars today. I would however prefer some degree of comfort and ofcourse top safety is a must. Powerstearing and powerwindows and remote central locking are standart in all cars today. I don’t want to go back to armwrestling with the steeringwheel when parking, or turning in tight spots. I could do without the AC, since we rarely need it here.
Were Toyota to use the FT-86 as a base for a new Supra as I suggested, the car would be lighter than the LFA. The FT-86 concept car, with all airbags, power features and interior pieces installed, weighs only 2262 lbs, and once the power features and rear seats are removed and the LFA engine/Supra transmission/chassis re-enforcements added in, you’d have a curb weight of below 3000 lbs. The 2UR-GSE is a high performance engine, but it is not a racing engine like the 1LR-GUE and 2JZ-GTE, and if the Supra is to be a track-focused car as was the MKIV, it needs a track-focused engine. A turbo version of the 2UR-GSE would be ideal for a third-generation SC500, being that the SC would be a performance coupe but not a race car, but it is too big, too heavy and too road-oriented for use in a Supra.
Well, there are aftermarket turbochargers for the 2UR-GSE. Could be interesting to know how much they cost. Don’t get me wrong. I think the V10 is an amazing engine, from a technical and a hp/litre point of view, given that it is NA. However, if you look at it from a hp/(litre*rpm) point of view, a twinturbo would have the advantage. As would a larger displacement engine. The 1LR-GUE was contructed specifically for the LFA, aiming for as light a car as possible, but that ligthness also necessitated special, very expensive material. Materials, that we wont see in any affordable GT. Hypothetically such a car would be heavier and would argueble benifit from a torquier engine. If the 1LR-GUE was used, it would most certainly benifit from a supercharger, which would rise the poweroutput to some degree, but more importantly would increes the torque considereble.
After the twin-turbos’ development costs were factored in, the V10 would be cheaper. And while turbochargers were the MKIV Supra’s trademark, the naturally aspirated V10 would be even better, especially if mated to the Supra’s 6spd manual.
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Posted on
08.30.2010 @ 23:26