It’s back, baby! Reports out of Australia say that the show-stopping Toyota FT-1 concept unveiled last month at the Detroit Auto Show has been confirmed for production as the next Supra. Even better, it’ll be in the first of an entire lineup of sports cars set to hit the streets starting in 2016, nearly two decades after the last Supra left US shores.
Furthermore, according to Motoring.co.au the Big T’s following the Supra up with another sports car, an entry-level model slotting below the Scion FR-S. Expected to be powered by a 1.5-liter hybrid system, it will reportedly be priced at an almost unbelievable $16,000 when it goes on sale in 2017.
The Supra, on the other hand, will come in at just under $100,000 and will have two engine choices, a base turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder also found in the forthcoming Lexus NX and a turbo 2.5-liter V6 hybrid capable of 402 hp for the top trim level.
Both are the purview of a new sports car division within the halls of Toyota City headed by Tetsuya Tada, chief engineer of the 86/FR-S. The department’s formation comes straight from the top, as CEO and sometimes race driver Akio Toyoda has mandated that future vehicles be injected with wakudoki, Japanese for “a palpable, heart-pounding sense of excitement.”
Can’t wait to see both. The $16,000 will be a rwd hatchback aka Starlet (that was the rumor). Its funny how Toyota was to the last to leave the segment of rwd hatches and is the first to revive it back at least here in the US.
If that’s true awesome. Love hatchbacks and RWD.
Sorry to see the 100K price tag on the Supra – won’t be seeing many on the road. On the other hand, when I do see one, it will be a great sight.
Dear Toyota,
Please offer the $16,000 rwd hatchback in the US, put a Toyota badge on it, and please pick an appealing name; I don’t want to drive a Yaris, Echo, Matrix, or xAnything.
Thanks,
Ben
hehe never gonna happen those days are LONG gone
@toyoda thx for this & we can’t even afford the toyobaru
Cool news, but I am a bit bummed it’s going to be $16K, $25K, $95K for the three levels. I would think there’s a gap between 25 and 95K to fill? I suppose they figure there’s just so many choices out there for good sports cars from $30-70K, that they have to differentiate themselves.
Let’s also hope the $16K model is more on-mark than the CRZ.
Should be
1. ~20-25k model. Targets against the upstart Korean cars, the V6 American coupes, and whatever hot hatches are left on the market. A hot version of that topping out at about 32k, basically same level target demographic as a Evo or WRX minus the AWD. Celica/ GTS.
2. A high 30s to low 50k model. Targets 370z, the American V8 coupes, and the mid-engine Porsches. Supra/ Supra Turbo.
3. An exotic posterchild halo car, expensive. Succeeds the LFA and the 2000GT in spirit. Competes against GTR and all those derpy exotics that nobody buys.
No inline 6?!?! Thats quite disappointing since its been that way for 3 generations 🙁
You mean 4 generations….
No one makes inline-6s anymore. not cost effective and not as advantageous as a V6
BMW does, lest we forget. Straight 6 may not be as cost effective (cars usually need a longer hood) but if you’ve ever owned and driven bmw’s (like I have for 7 years now) you will understand why straight sixes actually have more advantages over conventional V6s. A straight 6 is better balanced, less vibration, easier to work on and maintain (think changing spark plugs etc.), more linear torque, more efficient (pistons carry a straight firing order and have to work less going up and down as opposed to up, down, and sideways in an angle). Source: Mechanical Engineer who has had many BMW’s with straight 6 engines as well as an R32 GTR Skyline.
Toyota is not worried about the 30k to 90k gap because that space is for the Lexus F Sport lineup. Secondly, hovering around the 100k mark puts it right with GTR, Corvette, SRT Viper and so on so there is no harm done there. And the entry level car will easily crush the CRZ because it will be what, half the price? Now they just need to make that diesel Tundra HD and that would eliminate the need to shop any other manufacturer.
Everything about what you said is so spot on. Toyota is really making proper choices about their lineup. I hope Nissan pays more attention and brings back a proper lower price sports car, in other words I want a new s-chassis…
If you want a new S-chassis then I would love to get your take on the IDx concept. Do you feel like Nissan is going to trip over their dick when the production version hits showrooms?
Please do not disgrace this page of toyota greatness By speaking of a S-chassis car. Thank you.
A 16K RWD sporty car…if Toyota can pull that off in the USA, they’ll sell every one they make like mad. To be at that price point assembly will undoubtedly be in Mexico. I really hope they can pull this off around 2017. I’ll be ready to replace my Suzuki SX4 at that time and I would love to have a little rice rocket like that.
Who said rwd?
A cheap ff is what I’m thinking. Hopefully without the use of a Celica badge… As if the brand hasn’t been raped enough
-but new rwd Celica, count me in.
The FRS is the Celica. In ethos, in styling, in everything. It is much more Celica-like than it is Corolla/AE86-like. Their naming of it was just typical retarded marketing bullshit. Like when Dodge made all those fugly fwd POSes in the 80s and ripped off the names of their classic 60s muscle cars and slapped them on.
I would say the current second generation tC is the continuation of the celica line. But maybe that’s just me.
That Supra looks like an uglier version of the new Corvette.
Jalopnik says it’s still vaporware.
http://jalopnik.com/did-toyota-confirm-that-the-ft-1-concept-is-the-new-sup-1519308331
Of course they would. Toyota USA would naturally not be able to speak out of turn from the parent company. Perhaps they spoke to Toyota Japan and the official line is still no. We are simply reporting the news that came out of Australia. We shall see.
Okay, Supra. I ain’t never gonna have that kind of coin, so it doesn’t matter.
The “other” one: If it’s RWD, then I’m with Aaron – Celica. Coupe and hatchback bodies; multilpe trim levels; sub-$16K to $???.
If it’s FWD, don’t bother; there’s the Scion tC for that. They’d probably cannibalize each other.
Not crazy about Starlet for the name; kind of a “chick car” name, if it’s to be a sports coupe. Starlet was good on the little (I’ll admit, the U.S. ’78-’84 was cute) economy job, but they have the Yaris for that. I’d hang on to the Starlet name for a VERSION of the Celica, maybe… Honestly, I’d like to see the Starlet name on a car I like better than the Yaris… Personal preference.
Now, I’m thinking the Aygo could be sent over and slotted in below the Yaris as the Starlet, but they’re SO close in size, that I wonder if it’d be worth the cost of the new nameplates. Otherwise, I could only see getting down to the iQ size, but again, there’s redundancy.
HA HA I’m BACK!! Found you on the Toyota side LOL… Let the bench race begin! Sooo I like the looks of this thing and SOME of the tech but WTF with the 100k price tag and weak hp numbers? Why cant these J-automakers figure out a good combination of performance and value like the good old days? To much chasing the Germans let the over engineered crap stay on the lexus version and cut the price of this thing to a reasonable number…
Who wants to spec this thing out with me??? I say 1st loose the hybrid system and give me a massaged ISF V8 making 475hp and a 6spd trans these changes alone should cut the price to 60k not great but better than 100k in an oversized RC car… LOL WTF are we gonna do to mod these things anyways? Brushless system from team NOVAK or Tekin? LOL extra points if you figure out what those brands are!!
But will it (Supra) be available with a proper, three-pedal manual transmission? Otherwise, meh…
Based on the pix and what I’ve read about the competition, I’d say: “Do NOT bet on it.”
Even if this car were to be offered with a manual, do you want to drive a 2.0 Turbo sportscar or a 2.5 V6 with a stupid hybrid motor? Toyota can’t be serious. I’m gonna stick to my straight 6 BMW’s for the old school supra vibe.
Toyota…………………………………………………….BRING IT ON!!!! >D
The 25-95k gap has more than enough space for a forced induction and/or AWD version of the FRS/GT-86/BRZ
the 16k models will be 100k by the time they get here
2.0 turbo or V6 option so in the same class as that RWD Hyundai Genesis coupe? And who would really shell out $100K for 4cylinder power? They should keep this car in a realistic $60K range. I’m sure they can.
This is fantastic news! I LOVE you ToMoCo! I really love the FT-1. Hope it really does materialize as the new Supra. As for the sub-86/FR-S car, sounds a bit too good to be true, but so did the 86/FR-S. It’s Toyota, if they really want to do it, it’ll be done.
Please for the people. Don’t make a Nissan move and not being back a car we all want. I own a Lexus and a Toyota. Yes I left Nissan for you. I will definitely buy this. I’m trying to hold out for it. Was really looking at the FRS and thinking of picking one up. I want a supra. Loss the 100,000 price tag. Being a affordable car that can put our down seems to be a winning combination.
let swap a 2jz in that!!!!! oldschool ftw! new engine suc*!!!!
mkiv supra only…
lets do It !!!!!!!!! they should be making the 3-Jz but there not 🙁
it’S not a supra….. 4cyl…
I think the Price tag to Power ratio is fucked up now a days. Why would someone pay 100k for a 402hp supra when they can go buy a mustang GT for 30k with 420+hp. just doesn’t make sense.
@Marcus. Its all technology. The gtr doesnt have much more than that, but itll rip most supercars with 2x the horsepower apart. Its not really about HP anymore. Just what you do with it.