Showing posts with label Next Gen Toyota Supra. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Next Gen Toyota Supra. Show all posts
13 Jan 2014
Toyota FT-1 Concept Heralds A More Exciting Future (And Maybe A New Sports Car--Supra?!?)
Wouldn't it be nice if this got Honda thinking about a Next Generation Honda Prelude, if only in concept form....?
by Matthew de Paula of www.forbes.com
The suspense is over. After years of hand wringing, diehard fans of Toyota’s defunct but beloved Supra sports car have been given hope of a successor.
Their salvation comes in the form of the FT-1 concept car, which Toyota unveiled today at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Although the Japanese automaker has not said whether it will build a production version of the curvaceous coupe, nor whether it would be called “Supra” if it did, the FT-1 is groundbreaking nonetheless. It represents the culmination of Toyota’s efforts to infuse excitement into its vehicles, much as the company’s luxury division, Lexus, is already doing. (Read more about Lexus’ efforts here.)
The Toyota FT-1 concept is a stake in the ground that signifies no more boring cars for Toyota.
“It really expresses the direction that we’re moving in and the company that we’re evolving into, which is one that develops more exciting vehicles with heart, more emotion, more driver-engaged products that speak to the excitement of driving,” said Kevin Hunter, president of Toyota’s Calty Design Research studio, in a one-on-one interview ahead of the concept car’s unveiling at the Detroit auto show.
The FT-1 has design elements that pay homage to past Toyota sports cars. The slant of the roofline and the wraparound windshield with blacked out roof pillars evoke the styling of the 2000GT, a slinky two-seater built from 1967 to 1970 and famously featured in the James Bond film “You Only Live Twice.” The rear of the FT-1 pays homage to the last generation of the Supra, called the Mark IV, which was built from 1993 through 2002.
The 2000GT and Supra lineage is also evident in the long hood of the FT-1. Both the 2000GT and Supra featured so-called in-line six-cylinder engines, which were long and dictated a certain proportion at the front of the car. “Even though we’re not saying exactly what engine is in the FT-1, we thought at least it should feel like it has a long hood and it has a powerful engine under the hood,” Hunter said.
Though it draws on Toyota’s heritage, the FT-1 is far from just a rehash of previous sports cars. “The surfacing is all new. We refer to it as ‘function sculpting,’ and that, I think, is in line with our bigger fundamental design philosophy of ‘vibrant clarity,’” Hunter said. “There’s something rational happening and there’s something emotional going on as well. And it’s kind of those two values merging that creates something new.”
The entire car appears to be shaped by the wind. Deeply sculpted intakes and outlets improve aerodynamics and channel air to cool the engine and other components. “It has to be dynamic, exciting, but it also has to function well as a sports car,” Hunter said.
This design and engineering ethos wrapped up in one can also be found at the pinnacle of motorsports: Formula One. Not by coincidence, the pointy nose of the FT-1 recalls the shape of an Formula One race car. “It was kind of on our mind, I guess, as we were designing the car,” Hunter said.
The interior of the FT-1 is stripped down like that of a race car.
Toyota designers completely rethought how the driver should interact with the vehicle and devised a head-up display, like something from a fighter jet, and large buttons on the steering that look like a video game controller. The goal was to reduce driver distraction.
“It’s very easy for your thumb to identify the input points that relate to the heads-up display,” Hunter said. “So ideally, you can do it blindly, not looking down at the steering wheel and always keep your eyes focused on the road.”
Whereas current cars, including Lexus models, use controllers on the center console to manipulate menus on a screen mounted in the middle of the dashboard, everything on the FT-1 is managed right on the head-up display using only the steering wheel controls. This sort of technology could eventually end up on future production vehicles, Hunter said.
Despite all of the Toyota FT-1’s exotic features, which also include a movable rear wing that raises at high speeds to increase stability, the concept is meant to project the possibility of an affordable sports car in keeping with Toyota’s position as a mass-market automaker. A production version of the FT-1 would cost far less than a Porsche or Ferrari, Hunter said.
“We felt it was important to bring a halo image to the Toyota brand, which could use a bit of strengthening in that area,” he said. “We know that Lexus has the LFA, Scion has the FR-S, and the Toyota brand is really lacking a sports car right now.”
Calty designers came up with the idea for the FT-1 a couple of years ago. They’ve been waiting for the right moment to bring it into the limelight.
To help sway board members and Toyota president Akio Toyoda to produce the concept car, Calty designers worked with Sony to create a virtual version of the FT-1 that could be “driven” in the video game Gran Turismo.
This turned out to be a shrewd move. When the FT-1 was presented in video-game form to the board, Toyoda was able to complete a virtual lap of Japan’s Fuji Speedway faster than his best real-world lap time in his own personal LFA supercar.
Needless to say, the FT-1 got the green light, which is to be expected, considering Toyoda’s passion for motor sports.
“This kind of high-performance car I think is ideal to symbolize the direction that our company is moving in,” Hunter said. “We all know Akio Toyoda said we need to develop more cool cars and more emotional cars. And he used the term ‘waku doki,’ which means ‘with great passion and from the heart.’ We need to capture this kind of spirit in our new vehicles.”
Source;
http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewdepaula/2014/01/13/toyota-ft-1-concept-car-heralds-a-more-exciting-future-a-surprise-debut-at-the-2014-detroit-auto-show/2/
The suspense is over. After years of hand wringing, diehard fans of Toyota’s defunct but beloved Supra sports car have been given hope of a successor.
Their salvation comes in the form of the FT-1 concept car, which Toyota unveiled today at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Although the Japanese automaker has not said whether it will build a production version of the curvaceous coupe, nor whether it would be called “Supra” if it did, the FT-1 is groundbreaking nonetheless. It represents the culmination of Toyota’s efforts to infuse excitement into its vehicles, much as the company’s luxury division, Lexus, is already doing. (Read more about Lexus’ efforts here.)
The Toyota FT-1 concept is a stake in the ground that signifies no more boring cars for Toyota.
“It really expresses the direction that we’re moving in and the company that we’re evolving into, which is one that develops more exciting vehicles with heart, more emotion, more driver-engaged products that speak to the excitement of driving,” said Kevin Hunter, president of Toyota’s Calty Design Research studio, in a one-on-one interview ahead of the concept car’s unveiling at the Detroit auto show.
The FT-1 has design elements that pay homage to past Toyota sports cars. The slant of the roofline and the wraparound windshield with blacked out roof pillars evoke the styling of the 2000GT, a slinky two-seater built from 1967 to 1970 and famously featured in the James Bond film “You Only Live Twice.” The rear of the FT-1 pays homage to the last generation of the Supra, called the Mark IV, which was built from 1993 through 2002.
The 2000GT and Supra lineage is also evident in the long hood of the FT-1. Both the 2000GT and Supra featured so-called in-line six-cylinder engines, which were long and dictated a certain proportion at the front of the car. “Even though we’re not saying exactly what engine is in the FT-1, we thought at least it should feel like it has a long hood and it has a powerful engine under the hood,” Hunter said.
Though it draws on Toyota’s heritage, the FT-1 is far from just a rehash of previous sports cars. “The surfacing is all new. We refer to it as ‘function sculpting,’ and that, I think, is in line with our bigger fundamental design philosophy of ‘vibrant clarity,’” Hunter said. “There’s something rational happening and there’s something emotional going on as well. And it’s kind of those two values merging that creates something new.”
The entire car appears to be shaped by the wind. Deeply sculpted intakes and outlets improve aerodynamics and channel air to cool the engine and other components. “It has to be dynamic, exciting, but it also has to function well as a sports car,” Hunter said.
This design and engineering ethos wrapped up in one can also be found at the pinnacle of motorsports: Formula One. Not by coincidence, the pointy nose of the FT-1 recalls the shape of an Formula One race car. “It was kind of on our mind, I guess, as we were designing the car,” Hunter said.
Toyota designers completely rethought how the driver should interact with the vehicle and devised a head-up display, like something from a fighter jet, and large buttons on the steering that look like a video game controller. The goal was to reduce driver distraction.
“It’s very easy for your thumb to identify the input points that relate to the heads-up display,” Hunter said. “So ideally, you can do it blindly, not looking down at the steering wheel and always keep your eyes focused on the road.”
Whereas current cars, including Lexus models, use controllers on the center console to manipulate menus on a screen mounted in the middle of the dashboard, everything on the FT-1 is managed right on the head-up display using only the steering wheel controls. This sort of technology could eventually end up on future production vehicles, Hunter said.
Despite all of the Toyota FT-1’s exotic features, which also include a movable rear wing that raises at high speeds to increase stability, the concept is meant to project the possibility of an affordable sports car in keeping with Toyota’s position as a mass-market automaker. A production version of the FT-1 would cost far less than a Porsche or Ferrari, Hunter said.
“We felt it was important to bring a halo image to the Toyota brand, which could use a bit of strengthening in that area,” he said. “We know that Lexus has the LFA, Scion has the FR-S, and the Toyota brand is really lacking a sports car right now.”
Calty designers came up with the idea for the FT-1 a couple of years ago. They’ve been waiting for the right moment to bring it into the limelight.
To help sway board members and Toyota president Akio Toyoda to produce the concept car, Calty designers worked with Sony to create a virtual version of the FT-1 that could be “driven” in the video game Gran Turismo.
This turned out to be a shrewd move. When the FT-1 was presented in video-game form to the board, Toyoda was able to complete a virtual lap of Japan’s Fuji Speedway faster than his best real-world lap time in his own personal LFA supercar.
Needless to say, the FT-1 got the green light, which is to be expected, considering Toyoda’s passion for motor sports.
Source;
http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewdepaula/2014/01/13/toyota-ft-1-concept-car-heralds-a-more-exciting-future-a-surprise-debut-at-the-2014-detroit-auto-show/2/
12 Dec 2013
Toyota Vision Gran Turismo Concept – Could this be the new Supra?
Toyota has just released a teaser sketch of its upcoming Vision Gran Turismo Concept vehicle and guess what, it cuts a very familiar figure! We have nothing else other than the sole silhouette image above, so the rest is up to your imagination.
The Toyota Vision Gran Turismo Concept looks eerily similar to the late Supra sports car. Is the Japanese automaker hatching a surprise concept reveal on the just-released Playstation 3 racing game? That would be fantastic indeed, as the Supra gained a large majority of its strong following among youngsters through earlier instalments of the same game.
A next-generation Supra is way overdue, with the last of its kind rolling off the production line as far back as July 2002. With the new Honda NSX due soon, the timing couldn’t be any better either.
Source;
http://paultan.org/2013/12/12/toyota-vision-gran-turismo-concept-new-supra/
30 Sept 2013
Toyota’s Rumored Sports Coupe Plan
Rumors fueled by official statements abound that Toyota will be bringing two new sports cars to market – one positioned above the Scion FR-S/FT-86, and one below. These cars will form a trifecta of sports coupes, similar to the group of sports coupes that carried Toyota to popularity and profits in the 1980′s and 90′s. This new knowledge has people excited, but also confused about the future of sports models they’d hoped were going to be resurrected.
Toyota’s Incoming Chairman Comments Fuel Rumors
The new CEO of Toyota, Akio Toyoda, seems to be as ready as everyone else for a new rear-wheel drive sports coupe, or two. Although the GT86 is fairly new to the brand, two more RWD models are taking one slot above and one below the GT86/FR-S in accordance with plans of the incoming chairman. His plans were outlined as including two new sports cars with the 86 in the middle of both.
More specifically, he plans to make the larger of the cars a successor to the Supra — this model is said to be under development in collaboration with BMW. The smaller of the models is being hinted as a joint effort, but no details were given as to who Toyota would team up with to make it. Some speculate that the smaller of the models might be a MR2 or Celica.
It’s not exactly time to start putting in orders at local dealerships, neither model has actually been given the green light for production.
Next Generation of Supra: Will They or Won’t They?
In the early 2000′s, Toyota ceased production of the Supra. As far back as the conclusion of the latest generation of Supra, talk of replacement models and a new generation have caused quite a stir in the import enthusiast community. The news about the plans being made by Toyota’s future chairman has people wondering if the Supra even stands a chance still of a comeback.
Although conceptual drawings and speculation are in no short supply, the reality of a Supra now seems more unlikely now than ever. If Toyota has a new successor to the Supra in the works, they probably won’t bring this model back into their lineup to murk up the waters for their upcoming sports coupes.
So, why won’t Toyota axe the model forever or confirm its comeback? They want to keep consumers on the hook. The rumors, regardless of what the ultimate truth is, will keep the idea of a Toyota sports coupe on the minds of drivers.
The most current rumor (one started before the rumors about the two new models) is that Toyota will unveil their newest Toyota Supra concept at the 43rd annual Tokyo Motor Show at the end of the year. This is when the world will know, with almost absolute certainty, if the Supra is actually coming back, or if it’s time to let it go.
It’s at this same show that eager Toyota sports car enthusiasts will likely get their first glance at the other models Toyota’s chairman has alluded to. It seems at this point that the best chance the Supra has of a return is being the name on the larger of the sports models planned by Toyota.
Author Jason Lancaster is a huge fan of the Toyota Supra and hopes it will return. He works with Olathe Toyota Parts Center, an online seller of wholesale OEM Toyota parts.
Source;
http://www.motorward.com/2013/09/toyotas-rumored-sports-coupe-plan/
13 Jun 2013
Toyota's incoming chairman covets Supra-like sports car
C'mon Honda, let's get going on that next Honda Prelude! Higher than the Civic SI, low $30's....
OSAKA, Japan (Bloomberg) -- Toyota Motor Corp.'s incoming chairman said he wants the sports car the company is developing with BMW to be a mid-sized vehicle comparable to the discontinued Supra.
Takeshi Uchiyamada has been telling people that Toyota's next sports car should be like the Supra so that it doesn't overlap with the 86 coupe, he said in an interview today in Osaka at a gathering of members of the Keidanren, Japan's biggest business lobbying group.
Still, such decisions are up to engineers, Uchiyamada said.
"That's what I want but it's not me who makes the decision," said Uchiyamada, who's known within Toyota as the "father of the Prius" for his work developing the world's best-selling gasoline-electric car.
"It's futile if we make something similar" to the 86, he said.
Toyota and BMW announced this year they will jointly produce a mid-sized sports car as part of a broader collaboration between the two. Should Uchiyamada, who's leading the negotiations with BMW, get his wish, Toyota would be reviving a model that was last produced in 1999 after a 20-year run.
Toyota spokesman Naoto Fuse declined to comment beyond saying nothing has been decided.
Uchiyamada, 66, is scheduled to become Toyota's next chairman at the company's annual shareholders' meeting this week, replacing Fujio Cho, who will become honorary chairman.
President Akio Toyoda, grandson of the founder, runs day-to-day operations at the world's biggest carmaker.
Source;
http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130612/OEM02/306129942/toyotas-incoming-chairman-says-he-wants-supra-like-sports-car#axzz2W6g8R8dx
OSAKA, Japan (Bloomberg) -- Toyota Motor Corp.'s incoming chairman said he wants the sports car the company is developing with BMW to be a mid-sized vehicle comparable to the discontinued Supra.
Takeshi Uchiyamada has been telling people that Toyota's next sports car should be like the Supra so that it doesn't overlap with the 86 coupe, he said in an interview today in Osaka at a gathering of members of the Keidanren, Japan's biggest business lobbying group.
Still, such decisions are up to engineers, Uchiyamada said.
"That's what I want but it's not me who makes the decision," said Uchiyamada, who's known within Toyota as the "father of the Prius" for his work developing the world's best-selling gasoline-electric car.
"It's futile if we make something similar" to the 86, he said.
Toyota and BMW announced this year they will jointly produce a mid-sized sports car as part of a broader collaboration between the two. Should Uchiyamada, who's leading the negotiations with BMW, get his wish, Toyota would be reviving a model that was last produced in 1999 after a 20-year run.
Toyota spokesman Naoto Fuse declined to comment beyond saying nothing has been decided.
Uchiyamada, 66, is scheduled to become Toyota's next chairman at the company's annual shareholders' meeting this week, replacing Fujio Cho, who will become honorary chairman.
President Akio Toyoda, grandson of the founder, runs day-to-day operations at the world's biggest carmaker.
Source;
http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130612/OEM02/306129942/toyotas-incoming-chairman-says-he-wants-supra-like-sports-car#axzz2W6g8R8dx
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