With all the rumors and anticipation surrounding Toyota's joint venture with Subaru to produce a front-engine, rear-wheel drive coupe, the automaker's Supra successor has been put on the news cycle's back-burner. However, according to a report by Best Car, development has continued in earnest since the FT-HS Hybrid Sports Car Concept debuted at the Detroit Auto Show in 2007 and a prototype will supposedly begin making the rounds later this year.
Although the FT-HS was originally due to arrive in 2009, the Toyobaru's parallel development and market conditions have pushed back the introduction of a Supra-successor until 2011. When it hits, expect two versions to be available: a traditional gas-powered model, likely fitted with a 3.5-liter V6, and a hybrid "Sports" variant packing the GS450h's 2GR-VSE 3.5-liter V6 mated to the JDM Crown Hybrid's electric drive system and cranking out around 400 hp to the rear wheels. If Best Car's report is to be believed, we could see the next iteration of the FT-HS concept at the Tokyo Motor Show this November, with the production model debuting sometime in 2010 before its on-sale date the following year.
[Autoblog]
