The New Toyota Sportcar…A Hybrid?

The New Toyota Sportscar...A Hybrid?

There have been rumors for years now that Toyota has been prepping a replacement for its flagship Supra sportscar.

The Supra was one of the most popular tuner cars of the ’90′s and continues to be regarded as one of the ultimate Japanese rockets.

At the recent Detroit Auto Show, Toyota shocked the world with what may be the actual Supra replacement. Currently dubbed the FT-HS concept, this super-Toyota is actually a hybrid! It is powered by both an electric motor and a 3.5 liter V6 motor, good for over 400 horsepower. You know this is car is coming close to supercar territory when it promises to propel you to 60 mph in around 4 seconds!

This sports car is a 2+2, meaning that it seats four. These photos don’t show us how big the back seat actually is, but I’m assuming that it’s painfully small. Rather than call the FT-HS a 2+2, Toyota should just say that the FT-HS has a deep package tray behind the front seats.

Many modern sportscars have engines in the 300-400 horsepower range, but the acceleration isn’t always there as today’s rides are heavier than ever. The FT-HS, on the other hand, is designed to be as light as possible. Given that, it is impressive that the FT-HS contains an automatically retractable hard-top!

Personally, I think this car is an amazing achievement in engineering. It will get excellent gas mileage being a hybrid and promises to be a true enthusiast’s sports car. Now you can impress your environmentally-conscious mom and wow your girlfriend at the same time!

Before getting too excited about this wonderful offering, remember, it is still a concept, meaning it has not gotten the final word to go to production just yet. Toyota should be revealing more details about the FT-HS concept within the next 6 months, including its planned release date.

A few people have asked what the estimated price point might be. I have read several places that Toyota is looking to price this car in the mid 30′s. Seems a lot more reasonable than the last car I wrote about — the 8 Million Dollar Mercedes-Maybach!

Click on a picture for a larger (1400×1050) desktop-size view.

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About Nate Whitehill

Hey everyone, my name is Nate Whitehill and I have been blogging and involved with social media since January of 2007. In August of 2007, I co-founded Unique Blog Designs (UBD). We launched our business with the redesign of John Chow and Jeremy Schoemaker (Shoemoney) - who are two of the top 100 bloggers in the world. My business partners, Matt and Josh, and I now operate UBD as a full-time blog design and marketing operation. To date, we have worked with over 500 clients including enterprise clients such as Yahoo!, MySpace, and Nike. Read more »
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41 Responses to The New Toyota Sportcar…A Hybrid?

  1. Jane says:

    oooooooooooh, I think I’m in love!!! I didn’t see a price tag, any idea??

  2. Ryan says:

    It’ll be awesome when that comes to market. I’ve got a Lexus RX400H that I love (a hybrid, of course), and I’d definately consider this car.

  3. Vinay says:

    I went to the Detroit auto show, and they had this car on displayed on a turntable, as well as the new Lexus sportscar displayed close by. The Lexus model is supposed to be their high-end sports car offering in the future (500hp V-10 possibly) but the FT-HS concept looked so much better, and seemed to be generating far more attention.

  4. eric says:

    cant anybody see that its a vector picture???!?!?!

  5. baron says:

    Supras & Celicas definitely ruled back in the day. Then all the Japanese manufacturers stopped making sports cars altogether… :(

  6. Vinay says:

    My guess is this car is going to make production. Looks too good, the stats are ridiculous, the price is borderline cheap, and that retractable hardtop is SLICK.

  7. sage says:

    this is a 3d rendered picture.. not actual photos
    anyway, this car looks like a bad offspring of a train and a hotwheels toy…
    i guess the concept is awesome, just that front bumper is so dumb,

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  9. this is awsome ! the car looks cute and sweet ! in particular it back body .

    http://thundafunda.com

  10. bc says:

    I can’t figure out how the trunk opens.

  11. Eddie says:

    For Sale: 2005 Nissan 350Z

  12. Matt says:

    Yeah… I like the car a lot too… but the author kinda missed the point.

    This isn’t a Supra replacement – this is a MR-2 replacement… and I’m talking back-to-its-roots 90-95 SW20 body style. From the strong C-Pillar, to its innovative open air design. Besides, Supra was never a 30K car (adjusted for inflation) the MR-2 was.

    If you are looking to see what the Supra replacement *is* – check out the Lexus LF-A

    http://www.autoblog.com/2005/01/09/detroit-auto-show-lexus-lf-a/

    bc – There’s actually not a ‘trunk’ – its a ‘hatchback’. The roof slides ‘back’ (over the glass), then the glass and roof settle into the hatch area. Coolest design at the NAIAS this year.

    • brettro says:

      to be the MR2 replacement, the FT-HS would have to be mid-engined and a 2-seater, which it is neither.

    • AnthonyC says:

      The Tesla is pretty damn slick, but I think Toyota’s answer to the electric sports coupe will ultimately trump anything currently on or in development. Toyota just kicks ass… and going forward, it’s stock price of around $130 is a STEAL right now.

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  14. Nomar says:

    Great Nate !! and congrats with DIGG

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  16. Mobius says:

    A “Concept Car” isn’t even a prototype. A concept has to be prototyped (several times) before it can even be CONSIDERED for production. Hint: There’s no prototype, and no confirmation they even PLAN to build a prototype.

    You just keep on thinking they’ll build it.

    No chance. Zero. Zilch. Nada.

    Just buy a Porsche – at least they build plenty of ‘em!

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  18. christopher krenisky says:

    I pray to God this car goes into production…I think I’ll cry if it doesn’t. I just bought a 2007 camry se which kicks some serious ass. The dealer showed me this car on toyota’s website. If and when they release this car im definitely doing a trade in!! Nice pics by the way.

  19. Wolf Stone says:

    Just saw pics of the new supra and now this…no wonder toyota is now the number 1 car maker in the world.

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  26. bish says:

    dude when this baby comes out, first car

  27. bish says:

    dude when this baby comes out, first car ever
    only car for me

  28. Gary says:

    I like it V8 power out of a V6 and electric motor any MPG stats

  29. Although the Supra sure is one car that I love to see racing around, this car looks very sexy! Of course it will never replace the Toyota Supra for me, this car looks like it will be a big hit to all of the auto tuners.

    Is it supposed to be placed into production anytime soon?

    Thanks for the info!
    -Chris