| Timpo | 10-13-2009 08:22 AM |
Toyota/Subaru Sport Coupe
Spy Shots: Toyota and Subaru Joint Sports Coupe
By Viknesh Vijayenthiran, Author, October 13th,
Toyota and Subaru confirmed as far back as April of last year that the two companies would collaborate on the development of a new affordable sports car and earlier this month we saw the first tangible evidence of the partnership with the unveiling of the 2009 Toyota FT-86 Concept.
We now have images of actual prototypes caught while testing at Germany’s Nurburgring. These are still test-mules so the final shape and design will look very different to this but we can still gather a few discernable details.
The new car will be sold by both Toyota and Subaru, although several reports claim the Toyota version will be exclusive to the Japanese market while the Subaru model will be a global version. However, while Toyota’s version is scheduled to go on sale in Japan late next year or in early 2011, the Subaru version is yet to receive the production green light.
As for the actual development, Toyota is reportedly responsible for the styling of the car while Subaru is handling most of the engineering. This means the new model will be Subaru at heart, with a four-cylinder boxer engine in both naturally aspirated and turbocharged forms planned.
Base models will be strictly rear-wheel drive and have a power output of around 220-horsepower. Though no official details have been released, it’s expected that an all-wheel drive flagship with 300-horsepower from a turbocharged flat-four will be available as well. A six-speed manual transmission will be standard, although an automatic is also expected to be available.
The projected pricing for both cars will start around $25,000. http://images.thecarconnection.com/m...00230766_m.jpg http://images.thecarconnection.com/m...00230764_m.jpg http://images.thecarconnection.com/m...00230768_m.jpg http://images.thecarconnection.com/m...00230769_m.jpg http://images.thecarconnection.com/m...00230767_m.jpg | 