What's with this sequel of concepts from Toyota?
The lights look like the Lexus’s.
As you may have remembered from our Geneva Motor Show report earlier this week, Toyota has now made a (yawning) habit of "facelifting" concept cars. So the FT86 II you see here in detail today is the evolution of the first iteration (that's coming to the Bangkok motor show later this month) previewing a new Celica-replacing coupe{aac}.
Despite being the world's top dog in the auto industry, it appears Japan's uno supremo is still wary of how its sports car should look (don't forget that it's been years since they made such a breed of cars).
Remember the Lexus LF-A? It saw a series of prototypes spanning nearly three years _ two in a coupe{aac} guise and one in a roadster variation _ before the actual article was revealed at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show. So, as said earlier, let's hope there won't be an FT86 III. In fact, sources say the FT86 II is more than 70% the real thing.
- Yeah, because part II looks perfectly fine ...
True, even if looks are very subjective. There are numerous changes made to the front and rear ends where there are more pronounced details such as Lexus-like lights and bumpers, plus a prominent rear diffuser. Even the rear windows are new.
The rear has an imposing diffuser.
- Will that sporty butt really mean serious performance?
Judging from the comments made by Toyota's head honcho, it probably won't _ as of yet. Akio Toyoda was reminiscing about the old days of driving purity: rear-wheel-drive, manual transmission and naturally aspirated engine.
And since the new Toyota is being jointly developed with Subaru, the drivetrain will be like this: 2.0-litre Boxer engine (most likely with direct-injection) and six-speed manual shifter driving the rear wheels, of course.
- But isn't Subaru known for AWD?
True, but that can never be a technical complication _ if either Subaru or Toyota wants to have their coupe{aac}s equipped with it.
Four-wheel-drive could come in the future, especially for more powerful versions that could get turbocharged performance. Today, Subaru is still known for turbo and AWD. The same goes for the Celica that once got these features in the GT4.
And we thought you might be asking about automatic transmissions. We can't imagine such a gearbox not coming to the market. True, drifters will love the manual, but most real-world punters don't want a clutch pedal.
- When will it go on sale?
Toyota has confirmed early 2012, after debuting the car at December's Tokyo Motor Show (along with the Scooby).
It shouldn't be positioned as high as the Mazda RX-8 or Nissan 370Z Fairlady, so we are talking about a theoretical starting price range of 2-2.5 million baht.
The cars should be the most affordable _ that is what Toyota aims for _ rear-drive coupe{aac}s to emerge in recent times. Nissan must really be contemplating reviving the 200SX Silvia.
Credit: Bangkok Post (www.bangkokpost.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment