📰 Auto News Toyota/Subaru RWD sports car confirmed for 2011 with boxer engine

[Mook]

At a press conference in Japan today, Toyota CEO Katsuaki Watanabe finally confirmed that his company is jointly developing a pair of rear-wheel-drive sports cars with Subaru. Each brand will get its own version of the car, which will be powered by one of Subaru's boxer engines, though the engine's displacement, power output and even number of cylinders is not yet known. We're also not sure if the Subaru version will feature the brand's trademark all-wheel-drive system either as an option or standard equipment, or whether Toyota might offer AWD as well in an homage to the Celica GT4 (we hope so!). The styling will most likely resemble the sketch that was published by Autocar yesterday, though we don't expect one car to be a rebadged version of the other.

Mark your calendars for 2011, which is when the new sports cars are scheduled to arrive. They'll be riding on a brand new platform and be built in Japan at a new plant by Fuji Heavy Industries, the parent company of Subaru. Toyota also confirmed rumors this morning that it will be buying up more of Fuji, raising its stake in the company from 8.7% to 16.5%.

These RWD sports cars will mean a lot for both companies, as Subaru hasn't offered a performance coupe since the slightly odd SVX, and Toyota all but abandoned performance models after the Supra, Celica and MR2 were cancelled.

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/10/toyota-confirms-rwd-sports-car-coming-in-2011-with-subaru-boxer/

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[Mr Baytchos]

Hmmm...we'll see

 

[IDAFC21]

interesting.

 

[Spicy McHaggiz]

very interesting

 

[Mook]

TOKYO — As if paying homage to Subaru, Toyota is co-developing a new lineup of rear-wheel-drive sporty coupes employing a revised version of the Subaru Impreza's platform, boxer engine and transmission. Toyota's largest contribution to the mix will be product planning and its impeccable quality control.

The Toyota model, still to be named, will be sold exclusively in Japan, while the Subaru-badged model will be marketed worldwide. The mechanical package will be identical, but both Toyota and Subaru will create exterior designs to differentiate their cars from each other.

The basis for this new radical project is to take Subaru's well-known 4WD powertrain and modify it to create a new rear-wheel-drive setup. Slated to be built at Subaru's Gunma plant in Japan, both Toyota and Subaru models will employ a revised version of the naturally aspirated boxer 2.0-liter unit generating around 220 horsepower at 6,500 rpm, mated to a six-speed manual gearbox from the current Impreza WRX STI.

Surprisingly, the joint Toyota-Subaru R&D team has chosen the out-of-production, front-wheel-drive Honda Integra Type R as its benchmark, because its styling, performance parameters and dimensions mirror what the development team wants to create.

Expected to ride on a 103-inch wheelbase, the 2,866-pound coupes will use a 2+2 seating configuration.

Slated for a late 2011 debut, the coupes are expected to be priced starting just under $20,000.

What this means to you: Good times on the horizon for fans of low-end rear-wheel-drive coupes.

Rendering

from Edmunds

 

[IDAFC21]

interesting.

^

 

[Spicy McHaggiz]

On Seinfeld last night (espisode were they can't find their car in the parking garage) there was a Subaru SVX. (this article reminded me of such)

 

[Mr Baytchos]

using a dead car as there benchmark????

Cause there hasnt been any advancements since the Type R

 

[espresso8097]

Says it will be naturally aspired, would there be chances for a turbo on upper trim levels?

 

[02BlueGT]

Looks like Toyota and Subaru want the kind of success the 240/180 has... this being about 200lbs more than a 240sx, but being similar size, drive-layout, and price