Getting More Expensive - Toyota FT86 - Concept Front Three Quarter

Toyota FT-86

Ballooning developing costs will result in a more expensive Toyota FT-86 when it lands in showrooms in late 2011. Those are the words of an insider close to Toyota. When the coupe -- known as the Toyobaru because the coupe shares its chassis and drivetrain with the Subaru Impreza -- was unveiled at last year's Tokyo Motor Show, one engineer let slip that the company was originally aiming for a base sticker price of around $19,000.

But with the Toyota R&D team's greater focus (than initially planned) on minimizing fuel consumption figures and producing the cleanest engine possible (Subaru's boxer engines are traditionally not considered to be that clean or fuel efficient), the base price is now expected to hover around $23,000, with the fully optioned model clearing $26,000.

For a stylish, "very driftable" 2.0-liter, rear-wheel drive coupe with a 6-speed manual and roughly 200 hp, that price sounds about right. But for a bargain-basement-priced concept that was supposed to inject some interest back into Toyota's lower-end sports car lineup, the price hike will be a slap in the face to those beancounters who so meticulously brought the concept onto the 'can do' table. It goes without saying that the higher expected price will adversely affect the Subaru equivalent, the other "FT-86" destined to wear a seven-star badge.

Head of the newly created Toyota sports vehicle department Tetsuya Tada told us at this January's Tokyo Auto Salon that his team had increased the FT-86's target age group by 10 years from the 30s to 40s after a more comprehensive market survey revealed fewer younger buyers would opt for the sleek coupe.

That's where a new, smaller, 1.5-liter powered coupe concept comes into the picture. To appeal to the younger age group -- late 20s to late 30s -- Toyota is said to be working on a two-door version of the Gazoo Racing inspired rear-wheel drive GRMN (GRMN = Gazoo Racing Meister of Nurburgring) hot hatch concept unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon. Our insider tells us that this concept, destined for a late 2012 debut, is based on the European-spec Aygo's platform, but modified to rear drive.

The engine will reportedly be a revised version of the Japan-spec Toyota Rush's 1.5-liter four developing around 110 hp at 6000 rpm. To help optimize the car's performance using the same powerplant, engineers are shaving as many pounds as possible off the new coupe, with an end goal of approximately 2200 pounds. That's next-generation Mazda MX-5 territory, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see whom Toyota is targeting with this coupe.

Source: http://www.motortrend.com/