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A PRIL 16, 2008 Page 7
‘Toybaru’ sportscar pact
‘Affordable’ coupe deal to
hand Toyota a reborn Celica
- with a boxer engine
By DAVID HASSALL
TOYOTA will fi nally get back into the
sportscar business within three years, with
a rear-wheel drive coupe being developed in
conjunction with Subaru that would sell here
for under $50,000.
A Subaru version will be fi rst to market,
though, with its own version set to debut in
Japan by the end of 2010 – while the Toyota is
scheduled for late 2011.
The compact Celica successor will be built
on a new Subaru platform, which is said to be
based on that of the Impreza, but driving only
the rear wheels.
Toyota will handle the styling, so look
no further than the FT-HS concept car that
appeared at this year’s Melbourne International
Motor Show as a possible guide to what it
might look like.
The ‘Toybaru’ will be powered by a Subaru
fl at-four engine – probably a 125kW 2.0-litre
normally aspirated version, at least to begin
with – making it the fi rst Toyota to be powered
by a ‘boxer’ engine.
Further down the track, do not be surprised
if the WRX STi’s 2.5-litre turbo engine is
shoehorned under the bonnet, possibly with
four-wheel drive, to create a successor to the
legendary Celica GT-4 that could even lead
Toyota back to world rallying.
Another long-term option could be a
convertible version that would provide Toyota
with a genuine rival to the Mazda MX-5.
Both versions of the new sportscar will be
built by Subaru at a new plant being constructed
alongside its Gunma Oizumi engine plant in
Japan.
News of the car seems to have caught both
Australian operations by surprise. Subaru
Australia corporate affairs manager David
Rowley said there had been no discussions
locally about the sportscar yet and it was far too
early to say if the car would come to Australia.
If it does come here – and there seems no
logical reason why not – it would mean a
change in Subaru’s long-running AWD-only
model strategy in Australia.
“We have a very long-term commitment to
four-wheel drive with boxer engines, and that
will continue for the foreseeable future, but,
having said that, we used to have front-wheel
drive cars and we would always consider
FT-HS
other combinations down the track,” said Mr
Rowley.
Toyota spokesman Mike Breen said that the
company’s product planning department was
still awaiting more details about the car before
deciding if it would fi t into the local model
line-up.
“We don’t really have any news from TMC
on how it affects us and whether we’ll be
taking the car or not,” Mr Breen said. “All I
can say is there’s no plan at this stage to bring
the car in, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be
in the future.”
Toyota has not had a sportscar globally since
the demise of the mid-engined MR2 series last
year. Toyota discontinued the Celica in 2006
and the big front-engined Supra in 2002.
Toyota president Katsuaki Watanabe
admitted at a press conference that the new
car was “long-awaited”. “We haven’t had a
sportscar for a long time,” he said. “I think
there is high potential for this car.”
FULL STORY: CLICK HERE
Subaru turbo update – page 26
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