Toyota stalling FR-S engine upgrade due to poor sales?

February 20, 2014
A Toyota executive may have doused cold water on hopes of a turbocharged Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ, citing poor sales in all markets.

“A faster version of that car would be at the top of most people’s wish lists, but like the cabriolet, it is hard to justify a business case to push either model into production based on the current sales,” Toyota’s VP of European R&D, Gerald Killman, told Auto Express.

The company is reportedly confused about the platform’s sales performance, after the cars were extremely well received by the automotive press, though Killman personally believes the engine “could use a little bit more.”

Subaru has teased a STI-badged BRZ, however the company’s special editions are mostly focused on aesthetic tweaks. All platform variants currently utilize the same 200-horsepower four-banger, forcing power-hungry tuners to bolt on their own aftermarket turbocharger to raise output.

Separate reports suggest Toyota may be preparing to resurrect its Supra nameplate, potentially as a production version of the FT-1 concept, while a new entry-level sports car is expected to be slotted below the FR-S with a $16,000 price tag and a 2017 launch target.

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