Spy Shot: Toyota sports coupe
Could this be the world's first high-performance petrol/electric hybrid sportscar? First, a little background. Toyota has confirmed that it is to discontinue both the Celica and the MR2 in the USA next autumn - and here are pictures of its next sporting contender. Less a replacement for either the Celica or MR2 and more a next-generation Supra, this coupe is to be aimed squarely at the likes of the Nissan 350Z and Porsche Boxster (soon to be available as a coupe too). Insiders suggest a good 300-350bhp from a turbocharged engine, and either rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. But check out the vents and cooling ducts towards the rear of the car. As the car's shape indicates a front-mounted engine, these vents could well be for cooling a battery and auxiliary electric motor fitted in the rear. There has even been speculation that the new sportscar could be called 'Volca', a handy collaboration between 'volts' and 'volcano'.
There is certainly precedence for such an approach. At the Geneva Motor Show last spring, Toyota unveiled the Alessandro Volta concept, named after the inventor of the battery. This ItalDesign-penned prototype was based around a mid-mounted 3.3-litre V6 and two electric motors (one for each axle), producing a total of 408bhp and a projected 155mph, 0-60 in around 4 seconds yet an average 60mpg. It's too soon for a car like the Volta to go into production, with its complete set of drive-by-wire controls, including steering, which allow the positioning of the steering wheel in front of any of the three-abreast front seats. However, a Toyota product-planning insider hinted to 4Car at the time that a smaller, simpler version could conceivably appear in a few years' time. "By 2008, carmakers selling in Europe will have to have an average of 140g/km C02 emissions across their range," he said. "So we either cut out the thirsty cars or we sell lots and lots of small cars. This is a way to have a sports car and keep within the rules." The car pictured here looks like the first new sports car developed to those principles, albeit with a more mainstream construction and less futuristic technology than the concept.
Toyota is also said to be working on a proper supercar: a limited-production exotic codenamed TXS, with a mid-mounted 5.4 V10 delivering 500bhp and 370lb ft. Weighing under 1350kg, it should offer 0-60 mph acceleration in well under 4 seconds and a good 190mph. Should it ever go to production, this could well be more like the Volta than the more mainstream car snapped here. In the meantime, the smaller 'Supra' is expected to appear at the Tokyo Motor Show next autumn.
