Toyota to launch two new hybrid sports cars: MR2 and Supra

According to the latest reports it appears that Toyota is ready to built two hybrid sports cars: a successor to the MR2 and a reborn Supra.

First of all, we have the MR2 which is set to receive a hybrid powertrain based on a 1.5-liter petrol engine, just like the Honda CR-Z, which uses a 1.5-liter engine capable to deliver 102 hp but also an electric motor which develops an extra 20 hp. Apparently, the MR2, which will make its debut in 2013, was set to receive a V6 petrol engine but due to the success of the Honda CR-Z, Toyota changed its mind. Regarding the Supra successor, it seems that this car will be inspired by the FT-HS Concept unveiled back in 2007 at the Detroit Auto Show and will receive a V6 hybrid powertrain. Set to make its debut in late 2013 or 2014, the car’s development is now running almost in parallel with that of the FT-86.


Source;
http://www.4wheelsnews.com/toyota-to-launch-to-new-hybrid-sports-cars-mr2-and-supra/#more-8958

Toyota Unveils MR2 Sports Hybrid Concept

It may only be a concept for now, but Toyota's GRMN MR2 Sports Hybrid study that was unveiled today at the Tokyo Auto Salon may very well form the technological base for a similar production sports car in the very near future, according to reports from Japan.

Developed in cooperation with Toyota's racing and tuning partner Gazoo, the concept is a two-seater, all-wheel drive hybrid sports car based on a modified version of the platform used in the now obsolete MR2 roadster.

Underneath its widened body, the MR2 concept gets a mid-mounted 3.3-liter V6 petrol engine that drives the rear wheels and the company's THSII hybrid system with the electric motor propelling the front wheels.

The combined output of the hybrid system and petrol engine is estimated to be in the range of 400 horsepower

Power is transferred to the wheels through a continuously variable transmission (CVT) with paddle shifts.

Toyota did not release any performance figures, but if you take into consideration that the 400HP plus roadster tips the scales at just 1,300 kg or 2,866 pounds (official data), this pocket rocket promises to be nothing less than fast.

Source;
http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2010/01/toyota-unveils-mr2-sports-hybrid.html

Another proposed Toyota MR2 Hybrid Article

Tell us if this sounds familiar: Hybrids will kill the driver-oriented sportscar. It's the line taken by no small share of enthusiasts, and some of them are among us here at Autoblog. But the skeptics were silenced – or temporarily hushed, at least – when Honda took the wraps off of its CR-Z coup concept. After all, anything that could bring back the CRX hatchback with added oomph at no extra cost at the fuel pumps has to sound good to anyone's ears, right? But you didn't think Toyota would let Honda have the fun all to itself now, did you?

It's far from official, but reports out of Japan suggest that Toyota may be working on a reborn hybrid sportscar of its own. The company once known for its sports-coupes recently unveiled the FT-86 concept, and could be set to follow up with a gasoline-electric resurrection of the cult classic MR2. The budget-friendly mid-engine/rear-drive sportscar had a big following who led the legions of the disappointed when the third-generation model was discontinued two years ago. But if the latest reports are to be believed, Mr. Two could be back – in hybrid form.

Details are scarce, but according to Japan's Best Car, we're looking at a two-seat two-door coupe with a gasoline engine mounted amidships behind the cabin, coupled to an electric motor in a more performance-oriented version of the Toyota Synergy Drive popularized by the Prius. Reports suggest it could adopt the MR-S nameplate, which is what the last MR2 was known as in Japan, so there's just as good a chance that it could wear the MR2 nameplate on this side of the Pacific. That's about all we've got for now, but if we all (Toyota included) play our cards just right, Japan's beloved budget mid-engined car could be coming back...with a charge.

Source;
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/26/rumormill-toyota-mr2-to-be-reborn-with-hybrid-power/

Toyota to Revive MR2 as Hybrid Competitor to Honda CR-Z? Japanese Magazine Believes So

Ever since Honda announced the CR-Z hybrid sports coupe, there have been rumors going around about the possibility of a corresponding Toyota model. Just to make it clear, we haven't heard anything official, but Japan's Best Car magazine is reporting/speculating/imagining (take your pick) that Toyota may revive the MR2 as a hybrid model called the MR-S to compete with Honda's CR-Z coupe that will go on sale in 2010.

We'll have to wait until some of our Japanese-fluent readers give us all the details from the article, but from what we gather, the MR-S would probably use a specially developed version of the Toyota Prius' hybrid powertrain.

The magazine's article is accompanied by an artist's impression on how the MR-S could like. Judging by the air-inlets at the back, the proposed MR-S most likely features a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive layout.

If true, this would make the MR-S a sportier proposal than the front-wheel drive CR-Z.

As we said before, there's nothing official about the existence of such a model, but we can't say that it sounds improbable for Toyota to develop a second sports car after the FT-86, especially if it's a smaller, lightweight hybrid.

Source: Best Car
http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2009/11/toyota-to-revive-mr2-as-hybrid.html