Japanese car makers collaborate on new sports car for 2011, to be designed by Toyota and powered by Subaru. JEZ SPINKS reports.
Toyota and Subaru are joining forces to build a new compact sports coupe that will launch in 2011.
The rear-wheel-drive sports car will be marketed and badged separately by each car maker and will be designed by Toyota and built by Subaru.
An all-new Subaru platform will underpin the coupe and Subaru’s signature flat four-cylinder ‘boxer’ engine will provide the power.
The model was confirmed yesterday as part of an extended collaboration between the two Japanese car makers, with Toyota paying about $320 million to double its stake in Subaru’s parent company Fuji Heavy Industries – from 8.7 to 16.5 per cent.
It ends a sports-car drought for both brands. Subaru hasn’t offered a coupe since the SVX (last sold in Australia in 1997), while in recent years Toyota has discontinued three two-door vehicles: Supra, MR2 and Celica.
Toyota CEO Katsuaki Watanabe said at the news conference that the coupe would be sold in Japan and overseas and that pricing would “not [be] prohibitively high”.
The joint development will significantly reduce production costs and industry speculation suggests the coupe could start at the equivalent of $40,000 in Europe, the same price as a Subaru Impreza WRX.
“I think there is high potential for this car,” Watanabe told media. “We (Toyota) haven’t had a sports car for a long time. This is a long-awaited model.”
Toyota and Subaru have confirmed that the new coupe will start production in late 2011 at a new Subaru plant to be built in Japan.
Details of the 2.0-litre four-cylinder Subaru engine’s power output haven’t been revealed, although rumours suggest a turbocharged, all-wheel-drive version will also be made available.
Toyota Australia has previously told Drive that it is keen to re-introduce sports cars locally, while Subaru Australia says the coupe’s rear-wheel-drive layout means it’s not necessarily a shoo-in for its future model line-up.
The rear-wheel-drive sports car will be marketed and badged separately by each car maker and will be designed by Toyota and built by Subaru.
An all-new Subaru platform will underpin the coupe and Subaru’s signature flat four-cylinder ‘boxer’ engine will provide the power.
The model was confirmed yesterday as part of an extended collaboration between the two Japanese car makers, with Toyota paying about $320 million to double its stake in Subaru’s parent company Fuji Heavy Industries – from 8.7 to 16.5 per cent.
It ends a sports-car drought for both brands. Subaru hasn’t offered a coupe since the SVX (last sold in Australia in 1997), while in recent years Toyota has discontinued three two-door vehicles: Supra, MR2 and Celica.
Toyota CEO Katsuaki Watanabe said at the news conference that the coupe would be sold in Japan and overseas and that pricing would “not [be] prohibitively high”.
The joint development will significantly reduce production costs and industry speculation suggests the coupe could start at the equivalent of $40,000 in Europe, the same price as a Subaru Impreza WRX.
“I think there is high potential for this car,” Watanabe told media. “We (Toyota) haven’t had a sports car for a long time. This is a long-awaited model.”
Toyota and Subaru have confirmed that the new coupe will start production in late 2011 at a new Subaru plant to be built in Japan.
Details of the 2.0-litre four-cylinder Subaru engine’s power output haven’t been revealed, although rumours suggest a turbocharged, all-wheel-drive version will also be made available.
Toyota Australia has previously told Drive that it is keen to re-introduce sports cars locally, while Subaru Australia says the coupe’s rear-wheel-drive layout means it’s not necessarily a shoo-in for its future model line-up.
“We never say never (with any product),” says Subaru Australia spokesman David Rowley, “but as far as Subaru Australia is concerned, for the foreseeable future our commitment is to the four-wheel drive and boxer engine format.
Subaru has enjoyed a successful period of growth locally since it decided in 1996 to sell only all-wheel-drive models.
Rowley says the effectiveness of its all-wheel-drive focus means the company would take some convincing to alter its marketing approach, though he did offer some hope to driving enthusiasts who would be interested in an affordable rear-wheel-drive Subaru.
“Of course we look very closely at future products as and when they are available to us and we’re interested to see these developments,” he says.
“We really need to do a lot of product planning exercises before we committed (to the car). The reality is that we’re looking quite a long way down the track (for this coupe).”
Toyota also announced that it will supply Subaru with a compact car and a ‘mini-vehicle’ – the Coo from Toyota-owned Daihatsu – as part of the expanded collaboration.
A Toyota press release said the two cars were expected to allow Subaru to focus its research and development resources on its main vehicle products.
Subaru has enjoyed a successful period of growth locally since it decided in 1996 to sell only all-wheel-drive models.
Rowley says the effectiveness of its all-wheel-drive focus means the company would take some convincing to alter its marketing approach, though he did offer some hope to driving enthusiasts who would be interested in an affordable rear-wheel-drive Subaru.
“Of course we look very closely at future products as and when they are available to us and we’re interested to see these developments,” he says.
“We really need to do a lot of product planning exercises before we committed (to the car). The reality is that we’re looking quite a long way down the track (for this coupe).”
Toyota also announced that it will supply Subaru with a compact car and a ‘mini-vehicle’ – the Coo from Toyota-owned Daihatsu – as part of the expanded collaboration.
A Toyota press release said the two cars were expected to allow Subaru to focus its research and development resources on its main vehicle products.
Toyota-Subaru Rear-Wheel-Drive Coupe in the Works
As if paying homage to Subaru, Toyota is co-developing a new lineup of rear-wheel-drive sporty coupes employing a revised version of the Subaru Impreza's platform, boxer engine and transmission. Toyota's largest contribution to the mix will be product planning and its impeccable quality control.
The Toyota model, still to be named, will be sold exclusively in Japan, while the Subaru-badged model will be marketed worldwide. The mechanical package will be identical, but both Toyota and Subaru will create exterior designs to differentiate their cars from each other. The basis for this new radical project is to take Subaru's well-known 4WD powertrain and modify it to create a new rear-wheel-drive setup. Slated to be built at Subaru's Gunma plant in Japan, both Toyota and Subaru models will employ a revised version of the naturally aspirated boxer 2.0-liter unit generating around 220 horsepower at 6,500 rpm, mated to a six-speed manual gearbox from the current Impreza WRX STI. Surprisingly, the joint Toyota-Subaru R&D team has chosen the out-of-production, front-wheel-drive Honda Integra Type R as its benchmark, because its styling, performance parameters and dimensions mirror what the development team wants to create. Expected to ride on a 103-inch wheelbase, the 2,866-pound coupes will use a 2+2 seating configuration. Slated for a late 2011 debut, the coupes are expected to be priced starting just under $20,000. What this means to you: Good times on the horizon for fans of low-end rear-wheel-drive coupes. Write by : Peter Lyon
RWD Toyota/Subaru Sports Car Put On Hold
Like a schizophrenic love affair, the on-again, off-again Subaru/Toyota rear-wheel drive coupe is apparently off again. That morsel of sobering news comes via Detroit Free Press columnist Mark Phelan, who says that both automakers now admit that the project has been put on hold. The inexpensive 2+2 sports coupes had been the subject of much speculation and a seemingly infinite number of renderings, and in fact what looked to be an early prototype had been spotted last year.
Many enthusiasts were hoping that the car would signal Toyota’s intent to return to the performance heritage of the AE86 Corolla, while Subaru stood to benefit from having a sportier-bodied, less expensive coupe than the WRX (although the car’s RWD configuration was seemingly at odds with the company’s all-wheel drive ethos).
In any case, the goal of a pair of 2011 sports coupes has evidently fallen by the wayside as yet another victim of the global financial crisis. Despite this development, Toyota maintains its small stake in Subaru, and the two automakers will continue joint production of the Camry in Subaru’s American facility.
Write by : Chris Paukert
Many enthusiasts were hoping that the car would signal Toyota’s intent to return to the performance heritage of the AE86 Corolla, while Subaru stood to benefit from having a sportier-bodied, less expensive coupe than the WRX (although the car’s RWD configuration was seemingly at odds with the company’s all-wheel drive ethos).
In any case, the goal of a pair of 2011 sports coupes has evidently fallen by the wayside as yet another victim of the global financial crisis. Despite this development, Toyota maintains its small stake in Subaru, and the two automakers will continue joint production of the Camry in Subaru’s American facility.
Write by : Chris Paukert
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