Toyota Developing Entry-Level, RWD Coupe Positioned Below FT-86

Toyota has started developing a new entry-level, rear-wheel-drive coupe in commemoration of Hiromu Naruse, Toyota's chief test driver who lost his life while test driving a Lexus LFA near the Nürburgring circuit in Germany. Toyota hopes to pay tribute by building the inexpensive yet fun-to-drive model, targeted at a younger audience, that Naruse had wanted to build.

Based on the Toyota Aygo-derived GRMN (Gazoo Racing Master of Nürburgring) Hot Hatch Concept which was revealed at the Tokyo Auto Salon early this year, the new model draws power from a front-mounted Daihatsu-sourced 1.5-litre engine that drives the rear two wheels. The double wishbone rear suspension setup and sub-1000kg weight are expected to benefit the handling.

Positioned as a cheaper, smaller alternative to the Toyota FT-86, whose launch has been delayed by two years to 2013, the production version of the Hot Hatch Concept will take the shape of a two-door coupe, and will most likely launch in 2012, ahead of the FT-86 which has been in the limelight since October 2009. To keep costs down, Toyota may build the new coupe at a Daihatsu plant in Osaka, making use of as many existing components as possible.

AboutSeow Yaohan

Seow Yao Han strives to bring you the latest and the most comprehensive information on cars available in Malaysia. But it's never easy for him to talk and write cars in this part of the world because what you lust after is often not what you drive home. When the euphoria of test-driving that branded, super-expensive sports car dies down, he just goes home in his less-than-glamorous ride.