Toyota big boss wants to develop new Supra
Toyota boss man Akio Toyoda has been outspoken this week about the return of the much-loved Supra badge. But he was quick to point out the difficulties behind its return.
At a press conference in Japan, Toyoda – the grandson of company founder Kiichiro Toyoda – said that the Supra had played a major role in his development as a young driver, but then got a bit down about it all.
“Even if one president says that we want to have a Supra again, the whole company is not going to be responding to that request,” Mr Toyoda told reporters.
Mr Toyoda went on to say that similar to the evolution of Nissan’s GT-R hero car and the coming of Lexus’ LF-A supercar, he would like to see his company develop a model that would represent a giant leap forward for the iconic Supra badge.
In recent years, Toyota’s FT-HS concept (pictured) has often been rumoured as an upcoming Supra-inspired sports car. The American-developed FT-HS combines an electric motor with a 3.5-litre 300kW V6 petrol engine, which is similar to that used in several production models, including the Toyota Aurion.
Using a front-engine, rear-drive layout and hybrid drivetrain it’s estimated to do the 0-100km/h sprint within the four-second range.
For now, as Toyota is focusing on reestablishing its reputation for quality and reliability, it’s much more likely to focus all its sports car development on the upcoming FT-86, scheduled to make its market debut in 2013.
Source: http://www.performancecar.co.nz/
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