motor

If your reading this and wondering, �hey whats a Toyota Supra� then perhaps this image will refresh your memory, yes thats it, the loud cars with the gigantic wing that you see flying around the city late at night. Believe it or not, they are more than 10 years old and even today their timeless shape and cult following has kept them on Australian roads.


You know when I wrote the Toyota FT-HS Concept article, I was thinking, hey this would be a great idea if it become the next Toyota Supra, and what do you know? Rumours are spreading like wildfire that yes indeed, this car has a great deal of potential to become the next Toyota Supra.

Toyota started the Supra project back in the days when it was still testing the ground to see if it could sell Luxury vehicles in the US, of course, now that Lexus is dominating the luxury segment in the states (and not doing too badly here either), the answer was an obvious yes.

However a few years ago Toyota went a little crazy, they decided that they no longer needed proper sports cars, they dumped the MR2 (After they turned it into the revolting male hairdresser car, which was its last incarnation), they dumped the Celica (having already dumped the GT4 version of the celicas some time ago) and they had already given up on the Supra back in 2002.

So whilst I say toyota gave up on sports cars, they of course had the Lexus IS series, but since Toyota wants to stay very separate to Lexus, there is no point in counting the IS series as part of Toyota�s sports line up. Hence began the era of �Sportivo� the horrible name associated with front-wheel-drive vehicles that were nothing more than a last minute decision to add some �sportyness� to the brand.


Of course for those who bought the likes of Camry/Corollo Sportivos, the sheer shame of driving a car named sportivo should have been enough disappointment, but Toyota has gotten away with having no real sports car for a very long time!

Till this day, the ultimate sports car for Toyota enthusiasts remains the Toyota Supra. The beloved Toyota sports car ended production in 2002, and ever since there has been continuos speculation of a successor.
When the Toyota FT-HS Hybrid Concept made its debut back in 2007, the possibility of a Supra successor started to look bright; however, Toyota later said that sports car just have a lesser priority on the company�s to-do list.
Well, according to the insiders at 7Tune, work has secretly continued on a Supra successor and with enthusiast Akio Toyoda now taking over as CEO, we�re probably closer than ever to a new Toyota Supra.

Internally known as the 086A, a prototype is expected to be completed by the end of 2009. The car has moved out of design phase and sources say that Toyota is looking at a 3.5L V6 engine that will be mated to the current Toyota Crown hybrid system delivering a total of 400-hp to the rear-wheel-drive sports car.
The new Supra will mate a 3.6 V6 to a Hybrid system based on the current Camry. The gas/hybrid combo platter should deliver an estimated 400hp to the rear wheels; all the while achieving excellent fuel economy and emitting super low emissions. 

It�s seems quite possible that the new Hybrid Supra will usher in a new type of sports car; one that is fast , one that is efficient, one that is environmentally friendly, and one that will change the notion of �what a traditional sports car should be� forever. We eagerly look forward to its arrival.