Toyota to reveal radical open-wheel sports car
Japanese giant preparing a Lotus Seven-style three-seat sports concept for Tokyo showAkio Toyoda has achieved much during his relatively short time as Toyota CEO. He was the driving force behind Toyota's affordable 86 coupe and the Lexus LFA hypercar, and he pushed hard for the Lexus RC and RC F coupe, and the world’s first hydrogen-powered fuel cell car, the Mirai.
Now, according to a source close to Toyota, his company is planning a shocking surprise for the Tokyo motor show in October, in the form of a radical three-seat, open-wheel sports car concept inspired by the Lotus Seven.
What's more, the source says that if it gets the thumbs-up from the press and public, the world's biggest car-maker will seriously consider building it.
It goes without saying that Toyoda is fully backing this unusual departure from Toyota’s standard model line-up, which like the 86 continues Toyota's attempts to stimulate Japan's youth into becoming the next generation of car buyers.
“Such cars must grab kids’ imaginations and hopefully give them an interest in owning and driving cars in the future,” says our insider.
Incorporating a narrow front-end, exposed suspension arms and a staggered seat layout with a central driver’s seat, the front-engined, rear-drive sports coupe promises driving thrills like no Toyota before it.
Rumoured to boast an overall length of 3700mm, a 1730mm width and a kerb weight of just 700kg thanks to extensive use of carbon-fibre, the three-seater will be powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder hybrid unit generating around 75kW through a CVT transmission. Toyota is believed to be targeting fuel consumption of just 2.0L/100km.
Despite its size, engine specs and power-to-weight ratio, our source says Toyota sees its three-seater as a direct competitor for Mazda’s new MX-5 and the Honda S660, a wider-bodied, more powerful 1.0-litre turbo powered S1000 export version of which is on the way.
If it's approved for production, Toyota’s radical new open-wheel sports car should make its showroom-ready debut within two years of the concept's world premiere, meaning a 2017 Frankfurt show reveal.
Global sales – at a starting price of under $30,000 – should commence in 2018.
Image from Japan's Best Car magazine
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