Gossips love concept vehicles, especially those that seem to belong in showrooms already. Take the Toyota FT-HS. Unveiled at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show as a "21st-century sports car," it reminded some of Toyota's well-liked Supra. And why not? It's another high-style sporty coupe with rear-wheel drive, a six-cylinder engine, and seating for four. Obviously, a new Supra was on the way, and with gas/electric power to boot. After all, FT-HS stands for "Future Toyota-Hybrid Sport."
Carmakers usually shrug off new-model rumors, but Toyota did the just opposite with the FT-HS. As Road & Track reported, a company spokesperson described the concept as "a car we all know Toyota should have. It would slide right into the slot where the Supra was, as a mid-price sports/GT car--something we need in our product line." Which implies a rival to the Nissan 350Z, which the concept closely matches in size, and not the Chevrolet Corvette, which the last Supra targeted. Trouble is, a strong yen 10 years ago priced the Supra out of its market. A new hybrid model could suffer the same fate, given today's weak dollar/yen exchange and hybrid technology that remains expensive.more
Carmakers usually shrug off new-model rumors, but Toyota did the just opposite with the FT-HS. As Road & Track reported, a company spokesperson described the concept as "a car we all know Toyota should have. It would slide right into the slot where the Supra was, as a mid-price sports/GT car--something we need in our product line." Which implies a rival to the Nissan 350Z, which the concept closely matches in size, and not the Chevrolet Corvette, which the last Supra targeted. Trouble is, a strong yen 10 years ago priced the Supra out of its market. A new hybrid model could suffer the same fate, given today's weak dollar/yen exchange and hybrid technology that remains expensive.more
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