When it comes to the possible Toyota Supra successor, we have heard all kinds of rumors, including the possibility that it may be all-electric. Now, MotorTrend magazine has some different rumors for us: they suggest that the new Supra will be in fact a hybrid sports coupe.
The new Supra may be the result of the new cooperation between Toyota and BMW, and will be built on the Toyota GT86 platform which could also be used for the BMW Z4 successor. While the GT86 uses a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, the new Supra could use a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid engine with an output of about 400 horsepower, while a 3.5-liter V-6 hybrid powertrain is still a possibility.
On the exterior, the new Toyota Supra will be inspired by the FT-HS hybrid concept car unveiled at the 2007 Detroit auto show.
The new Supra is expected to be unveiled late in 2017, and a first concept version may be announced this year at the Tokyo Motor Show.
While most of our attention is focused on the upcoming 2013 Detroit Auto Show, people in Japan are preparing themselves for the 2013 Tokyo Auto Salon — not as popular as Detroit, but still a pretty good chance to see some cool upgrade packages offered for current models.
Mazda, for example, announced an impressive lineup as six vehicles to be displayed in Tokyo, one of the most impressive one being the Atenza Racer (known as the Mazda6 in the U.S. market). According to the first details we have on this cool model, the new Atenza Racer has been designed as a "response to a request of the user who is running the circuit, and comfort."
The model features M’z CUSTOM (M’s custom) aero parts, Brembo brake calipers and engine upgrades. On the inside, Mazda installed sporty leather seats and a set of alloy pedals. No details on the final specifications have been provided just yet, but we expect to learn them pretty soon.
It looks like today has been a day for Tokyo Auto Salon previews. First Honda, then Mazda and now Subaru has offered us the first details on its models to be displayed in Tokyo, starting January 11, 2013. Subaru will come to the show with several new concepts, the coolest one being based on the new BRZ sports car.
The new BRZ Premium Sport Package concept will offer customers a pretty good idea of what the STI version will bring to the market, including an STI aero kit, a carbon fiber roof and a set of 19-inch BBS prototype alloy wheels. The interior has also been customized with leather seats and bright metallic trim.
We have no images of the concept just yet, but we do know it will be featuring lots of black exterior elements and special metallic colors of high brightness.
Full details on the Subaru BRZ Premium Sport Package concept will be unveiled during its official debut at the 2013 Tokyo Auto Salon.
One of the models to be displayed by Mazda at the upcoming 2013 Tokyo Auto Salon is based on the CX-5 SUV. This concept is called Active Driver and has been specially designed for those active families that need plenty of luggage space, but also the strong torque delivered by the CX-5’s "SKYACTIV-D" technology.
The new CX-5 Active Driver is painted in white with carbon fiber inserts on the hood and numerous gloss-black accents. The car is also offered with a set of unique alloy wheels. For the interior, Mazda has added new sports seats, a new steering wheel wrapped in Alcantara and alloy pedals to go along with color combo of black and red.
We cannot tell for sure what engine is under the hood, but we do know that it will feature SKYACTIV-D technology, like 14-to-1 compression, two-stage turbocharger and weight reduction. Will learn full details in January 2013 when the model makes its world debut.
Honda announced the first details on its display lineup for the upcoming 2013 Tokyo Auto Salon and it looks quite promising. The coolest model announced for Tokyo is the S2000 Modulo Climax — an S2000-based concept model that features cutting-edge aeroform design and a chic interior coordinated in black and burgundy.
No other details have been provided, but it looks like the concept’s outward appearance is quite similar to the production version S2000, sans some minor updates. The interior, on the other hand, looks fully updated, with lots of leather used on the seats, dashboard and steering wheel. For the interior, Honda opted for a black and burgundy red combination, matching the red used on the exterior.
We expect the S2000 Modulo Climax to be a hybrid vehicle, but we will have full details on it in January 2013 when the model will make its official debut in Tokyo.
The 2013 Tokyo Auto Salon is just around the corner, so it’s no surprise that first details on the models to be displayed at the famous Japanese show have started to surface online. For example, Abflug has prepared a tuning kit for the new Toyota GT86 sports car, which it has dubbed the "Spiral 86."
Of course this is not the first time you have seen an upgrade package for the GT86, but we have to admit this one is one of the coolest. It includes both exterior and interior updates, but also the addition of 58 extra horsepower under the hood.
Exterior upgrades include a new front bumper, new side skirts, new rear bumper and a new rear upper spoiler. The car sits on a set of exclusive Abflug Prism III 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Yokohama tires sized 235/35/ZR19 up front and 255/30ZR19 at the rear. The exterior mods are subtle yet noticeable and they really set off the GT86’s appearance without being too overbearing.
Under the hood the 2.0-liter engine receives a HKS supercharger, a PentRoof FA20 tuning program and a water-bypass kit. As a result, the engine now delivers 258 horsepower at 6,300 rpm and 240 pound-feet of torque at 6,600 rpm. The tuner also installed a new HKS Hipermax IV GT suspension system with a new set of shock absorbers, new springs and Dixel brakes to round out the package.
For all of the press and hype surrounding the Toyota GT 86 and the Subaru BRZ, not a lot of people know or have given love to the third model of the bunch, the Scion FR-S.
All that’s about to change because the Scion FR-S has arrived. For those that have shed rivers of tears when they found out that neither the GT 86 nor the BRZ were headed Stateside, news that the FR-S will arrive in America is tantamount to a post Thanksgiving blessing.
Now, we’ve actually seen a concept version of the FR-S - called the FR-S Concept - at the New York Auto Show, so it really didn’t come as a surprise to a lot of us that the sports coupe was coming to the US, but seeing the concept and seeing the production version are two different things.
It doesn’t even matter that we’re not getting the GT 86 and the BRZ. We have the FR-S, and just like a child that comes to us, we’re going to shower it with as much love as we can possibly give.
UPDATE 07/24/2012:Scion has unveiled a new commercial for their latest FR-S sports coupe. Called "Kick Some Asphalt" the new commercial shows an x-ray of the FR-S’ front-mounted flat boxer engine. Enjoy!
Find out more about the Scion FR-S after the jump.
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It’s been more than a year since Toyota unveiled the concept version of the FT-86 Coupe at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show. During that year, we’ve heard so many reports, rumors, and whispers about the car, that we’re beginning to think that this could very well be the second-coming of Toyota’s iconic Celica line.
Now, after months of speculation on our part and hardcore testing on Toyota’s part, the Japanese company has finally unveiled the production FT 86, only it will be called the GT-86 instead. The new name was chosen as a tribute to Toyota’s GT car heritage and the exhilarating drivability of the Corolla Levin AE86. The Toyota GT-86’s official debut will be made at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show.
The new GT 86 is based on an entirely new platform and features a low, highly aerodynamic bodyshell. It is powered by the same engine as its Subaru sibling - a 2.0 liter, naturally-aspirated petrol engine - but will only deliver 200 HP as opposed to Subaru’s promised 300 HP. That being said, the base BRZ will come with the same 200 HP that the new GT-86 is sporting, bringing these two models closer than originally anticipated. Subaru’s promised 300 HP will be present in the STI version, leading us to believe that a G-Sports variant for the GT-86 will bring forth the same amount of power. This borrowed engine will be mated to either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission.
UPDATE 07/10/2012: Nino Karotta made one of the most epic reviews for the new GT 86. He crosses Europe in a GT86 to put it up against his AE86 on a racetrack. Hit the jump to see the results.
Hit the jump to read more about the new Toyota GT 86.
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It’s finally official! The Lexus LF-A has just made its world debut at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show. The Toyota built super car will be limited to a production run of only 500 units, each priced at $375,000.
As you might already know, the LF-A is powered by a 4.8 liter V10 that delivers a maximum output of 560 HP at 9,000 RPM and a peak torque of 354 lb-ft at 6,800 RPM, with 90% of the total torque being available between the 3,700 RPM mark and the super car’s 9,000 RPM red line. As a result of such a road torque curve, the LF-A can sprint from 0 to 60 MPH in just 3.7 seconds and won’t stop until it reaches a top speed of 202 MPH.
In order to ensure that the LF-A handles as well as it goes in a straight line, the Lexus design team incorporated lightweight materials like aluminum alloys, magnesium alloys and titanium alloys as well as some carbon fiber to ensure that the LF-A is as rigid as possible while maintaining a low curb weight. Even the new super car’s power plant is compact in size, smaller than a conventional V8, which allowed the Toyota engineers to design the LF-A with the optimal weight distribution and an exceptional power to weight ratio. Thus giving Nissan and their GT-R super car something to watch out for.
UPDATE 02/22/2012: Lexus has unveiled a new video for their LF-A sports car. The car is presented by Alex Wurz, former F1 driver and double Le Mans winner. Enjoy!
Press release after the jump.
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When Mazda unveiled their new ’Kodo’ design language, it marked a changing of the guard as far as the company’s new design philosophy was concerned.
The first two examples of this new chapter in Mazda design came in the form of the Shinari and Minagi concepts. And now, a third model is expected to join the fold with its debut scheduled for the Tokyo Auto Show in November 2011.
The third Kodo-influenced concept is called the Takeri and it’s being touted as the eventual successor and next-generation model of the Mazda6. The Takeri Concept successfully follows in the steps of both the Shinari and Minagi concepts in that it carries the same "expression of motion that focuses on the strength, beauty and tension found in the instantaneous movement seen in animals" - or as how Mazda describes its new Kodo-Soul of Motion design language.
Full details surrounding the Takeri Concept have yet to be revealed, although it appears that it will carry Mazda’s new SKYACTIV technology that is geared towards producing a range of hybrid versions for the next-generation Mazda6. Other rumored elements of the Takeri Concept include a high tensile, lightweight steel chassis, regenerative brakes, and start-stop engine technology
More details of the Takeri Concept are expected to be revealed at the Tokyo Auto Show in a little over a month’s time. For now, enjoy the photos of the concept that Mazda has just released.
UPDATE 02/13/2012: Mazda has announced that the new Takeri Concept will be making its European debut at the Geneva Motor Show. With that, they’ve released a series of 40 new high res images. Enjoy!
