Rumors have suggested the company’s Scion division may be developing a four-door variant of the FR-S that would eventually be outfitted with a hybrid all-wheel-drive system.
Toyota marketing director Fabio Capano argues that a hybrid edition would not “speak to the majority,” according to comments to Autocar. Such a model is also said to bring hefty development costs.
“We can create a product with this technology, but it needs to make proper business sense,” Capano said.
Separate reports have highlighted Toyota’s partnership with BMW to build hybrid technology, including a supercapacitor system, that could be used on their co-developed sports car. Both the next-generation BMW Z4 and revived Toyota Supra are rumored to be built upon a hybrid reconfiguration of the GT86 platform.
Toyota has previewed a similar system with its Yaris Hybrid R, which pairs a 300-horsepower gasoline engine with three electric motors for a total output of 414 ponies.
The Japanese automaker recently introduced minor updates to the Toyota 86 and its stablemates, however the company is said to be limiting platform development — potentially shelving a turbocharged edition — due to lackluster sales.
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