If you haven’t checked out our latest episode of the Concept We Forgot series, we focused on Toyota’s obscure GRMN Sports Hybrid Concept II. Developed over a decade ago, it was a mid-engine attempt at creating a fun, electrified vehicle. However, it never materialized into a production model. The same can be said about the 2017 GR HV Sports, a hybrid 86 with a targa top.
Despite testing hybrids in race conditions, Toyota’s reluctance to launch a sports car with an electrified powertrain continues to this day. That said, it won’t be long before its luxury brand Lexus pulls the wraps off what reports have dubbed the “LFR,” widely believed to feature an electrified setup centered around a V-8.
Until the big debut, the company is already teasing how hybrids could appeal to enthusiasts. In an interview with Australia’s Drive magazine, a higher-up from the local division didn’t exclude the possibility of a sports car that combines a gas engine with an electric motor.
Toyota Australia’s Vice President for Sales and Marketing, Sean Hanley, said: “We’re doing hybrids now in different racing conditions globally, so you’d never rule that out.” While technically possible to develop a hybrid performance vehicle for the streets, Toyota believes it will take time for enthusiasts to warm up to the idea. In the meantime, pure gas-fueled cars still scratch that itch:
Photo by: Theophilus Chin | Motor1
‘Is it desirable? I think in time it will be. The reality is that performance is exhilarating and entertaining, and right now ICE [internal combustion engines] still fill that gap for that market – that’s reality.’
Beyond the Lexus LFR, Toyota will likely offer hybrid models for its GR lineup in the future. Given how strict emissions regulations are becoming, it would be extremely difficult to engineer an ICE-only vehicle to comply, especially in Europe. But the gas engine isn’t going anywhere.
In a previous statement, Hanley promised that exciting ICE cars with manuals are here to stay: “combustion engines and manual transmissions will be around for a long, long time.” He added that people buying sports cars still want the “snap, crackle, and pop” of a gas engine.
With that in mind, Toyota is working on a new turbocharged 2.0-liter engine for both transversal and longitudinal applications. The four-cylinder “G20E” has already been installed behind the seats of a GR Yaris prototype, hinting at a midship layout for future models. There have been murmurs about the MR-2 returning, alongside a new Celica, so the future is shaping up to be exciting.
If Toyota intends to sell any of these cars in regions with strict emissions regulations, a hybrid version of that engine is a reasonable assumption. CEO Koji Sato recently declared there must be a fun element in every vehicle, not just the ones carrying the GR badge:
‘A car is not a car if it’s not fun. That’s why we will never allow our cars to become commodities.’
Bring it on, Toyota.
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