TOYOTA'S 2011 SPORTS CAR WILL HAVE SUBARU ENGINE

Get ready --- An all-new Toyota sports car will hit the US and the rest of the world in 2011, and it will have a Subaru "boxer" engine.

Was it really a dozen years ago, 1986, that Toyota last offered a "real" front-engine, rear-drive sports car? Yes, it was, and I was one of about ten US journalists in Japan in 1985 who drove one of those first Supras on a race track owned by Yamaha in central Japan. The Supra, until that time, had been known as the "Celica Supra", but, given its own name to stand it well-apart from the sporty-yet-family-like "Celica" line, Supra became something of an instant classic. These days, an original Supra in good shape is one of the very few "collectible" Japanese cars from the modern era. (Photos --- Above, Toyota's FT-HS hybrid-powered concept shown at the most-recent Tokyo Motor Show might contain much of the same design cues which we'll find on the just-announced 2011 sports car, Below, Subaru's all-new Impreza WRX-STi was displayed at that same Tokyo show; Fuji Heavy Industries makes the Subaru brand).

To make the new sports car's development possible, Toyota is doubling its ownership stake in Fuji Heavy Industries (parent of Subaru). Fuji will also give up its development of the small, under-660cc "k-cars", which carry favorable tax incentives in Japan, relying on another Toyota partner, Daihatsu, to design and produce those popular small vehicles.

Daihatsu is one of the few Asian makes which did not succeed in the US. It wasn't, however, because of the quality of the cars; rather it was their pricing, which was quite a bit higher than any of the competition at the time. One of my favorite memories of being in Japan was being taken on a tour of a Daihatsu assembly plant in Osaka with a small group of motoring journalists. On the line in front of us we watched as three very different vehicles were being assembled, including two vehicles bound for Europe and one of the Japanese home market. As we watched in some open-mouthed amazement as each robot and each worker appeared to be putting each piece on at the right place at the right time. The fellow standing next to me, editor of a large Detroit-based auto industry publication which name you'd recognize instantly (and not one of the Crain magazines), muttered to no one in particular, but loud enough so we could all hear, "They can't be doing this. This (assembling such very different cars, vans and wagons on the same line) can not be done". I don't know if he thought the gathered Toyota executives were staging a very expensive charade for us all, not that I would not put that beyond them, but, yes, it was being done. But it was being done in Osaka, not Detroit. (Photo --- Daihatsu HSC concept at the October, 2007 Tokyo Motor Show; Daihatsu is taking-over under-660cc car design and production duties from Fuji Heavy, according to this Japanese new mega-deal).

By the way, "Charade" was the name of one of the cars Daihatsu tried to sell in the US during that somewhat abortive attempt in the late-'80s. When I asked one of the company's vice-presidents (a very Japanese fellow who wanted to be called, and I am not kidding, "Elvis") why they choose a name for a car which could easily be taken to mean a "farce" or a "mirage" (no, wait, that's a Mitsubishi), he said to me, in English, in a way which made me feel that he was proud of what he was about to say, "Our president is a very big Audrey Hepburn fan!" Oh, okay. I get it. The movie named "Charade", with Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant! Good movie, good car, as it turned out, too. But a loser in the US. (Photo --- Lexus exhibited the latest version of their "LF-A" supercar at the Tokyo show, the much talked-about NSX-fighter; Will the Toyota/Subaru 2011 sports car look more like this than the Toyota concept seen above?).

Toyota's long-anticipated sports car will arrive in 2011. It will be jointly developed with Subaru and boast a boxer engine. The compact, rear-wheel-drive " affordable" car will be built at a new Japanese plant to be set up by Fuji Heavy Industries, parent of the Subaru brand. Each company will market the car separately and badge it as its own. The model is part of a sweeping expansion of the tie-up between the Japanese companies.

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At a news conference in Tokyo, according to industry publication AUTOMOTIVE NEWS, Toyota's CEO Katsuaki Watanabe also said that Toyota would boost its stake in Fuji Heavy to 16.5 percent, from its current 8.7 percent and pay 31.1 billion yen ($311 million) for the honor, snapping up the last of the shares General Motors sold back to Fuji in 2005. (Photos --- Above, Front wheel detail of Toyota's FT-HS concept, Below, Rear view of FT-HS).

Under the growing partnership, Toyota will supply Fuji with a compact car. Fuji also will start receiving minivehicles -- cars with engines no bigger than 660cc -- from Toyota affiliate Daihatsu, starting in 2009. Which means that Fuji Heavy will eventually quit all of its own minicar development.

Under the hood of the sports car will be Subaru's trademark horizontally opposed engine. Well, Porsche makes them, too, and so does BMW (for their motorcycles), but the Subaru brand is also well-known, and respected, for their boxers. The companies did not say how many cylinders the engine will have. The car will sit on a new Subaru platform and be "designed" by Toyota, the companies said.

"I think there is high potential for this car," Watanabe said, adding that it will be sold in Japan and overseas.  "We haven't had a sports car for a long time. This is a long-awaited-for model."

Comments

[William Le]

I think it is a trend right now for the big guys. They tried to merge their big piece of cake into new way of business development. Sport car is increasing in number especially in China, Japan, South East Asia countries.

Just like when Ford decide to go for FORD GT 2005.

[sandy ritchie]

cant wait for new toyota sports car, ive had many celica gt4's and also the carlos saintz, wrc st202 also and couple supra turbos, bring on the new beast!

[Jimmy]

Its nice to see Toyota deciding to capitalize on the sports car market. Pretty slick design as well. Quite honestly reminds me a bit of the Camaro, but maybe thats just me.