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As far as we know, and we know nothing, Toyota may hold all the cards in the contract and might even be able to tell Subaru to stop producing them if they want to go another direction. Since they designed and built the prototypes they might own all the rights. Remember, Subaru had to be convinced to build the car so they might have gone for the money up front thinking the car wouldn't be as successful as it was.
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If one truly understands the automobile industry today as it has morphed into a few behemoths and a few semi-independents (BMW mostly as no mega-corporation controls them and Subaru being the smallest of all mass producers that clings to independence) then it is clear that so many of these posts are sadly misdirected and misinformed.
Toyota did not produce a "prototype" for this car. They did not even produce a prototype for their first pitch to Subaru. They produced concepts on paper. Toyota has "produced" nothing on this car. They have helped to fund, support, seek a certain direction of purpose, design the body, and give technology to Subaru to make this car.
Subaru now has the right use Toyota's DI and Port injection technology on thier engines. In the future they can modify it to their purposes or use it in any means they want. This is the largest price Toyota paid to get this car produced. For Subaru this was "humongous". The cost of R&D for cutting edge technology like this takes enormous resources. You can thank the Japanese government for this as much as Toyota. They knew that with access to such technology Subaru (Fuji) could remain a growing player in the changing world auto industry. GM took technology and gave nothing when they owned the same percentage of Fuji that Toyota now owns today. I give a lot of credit to Toyota that they saw how Subaru could help them in ways that a small company can do, but that as a large corporate culture will usually take the lowest common demoninator according to the marketing and accounting dweebs.
Now that Subaru has a production line with all the die tools, robots and such paid for , the actual number of cars produced is less important. Also today's computer controlled car production lines allow for an amazing amount of variance in production of different models on the same line. They can make this car as long as they like, as long as it does not subtract from the bottom line of the company and serves as a dealer attraction. But the car industry is a fickle behemoth, and production capacity is the more likely culprit to stop this car, if the capacity is more valuable to use for other models.
Toyota makes a very high quality automobile. They don't "need" Subaru to exist at the top of the auto food chain. But they also are in the battle to become the worlds largest carmaker and seldom has the worlds largest car producer built any of the worlds most exciting or sports competitive cars. They have made some truly inspired efforts to make a "real" sports car from time to time over the last 30 years. Obviously they have made some models that will be etched in the minds of those who like to have an auto that they consider "special" But in the last twenty years if you look at the manufacturers who have made cars that have become lasting top performers and favorites on the amateur racing circuits of the SCCA and local car clubs then Toyota has come up shorter than several companies that are much smaller with much less resources to have the chance to succeed. When Toyota can just throw money at something to win, they do well at times (except F1 where they wasted hundreds of millions). They have the money to fund good TRD programs like the one in Cologne, Germany, and even the NASCAR stuff). They really do want to be a company which is thought of simultaneously as a quality company as well as a maker of fun and fast cars. Again, I give them credit for that effort. It is much more than GM could ever achieve in my lifetime.
Toyota went to Subaru and offered a concept for a car to sold together and produced by Subaru. The fact is clearly documented that Subaru said no to that concept. Subaru then "skunk" worked their own concept and showed it to Toyota who responded positively as it provided the basic idea of what they were looking for. A sports car that would appeal to the street modifier and amateur racer and actually be a sports car that these people would want and would buy. (Sorry, but as a long time SCCA member, autocrosser and track amateur, there are not many successful Toyota's that you see in that arena. The most successful of the Japanese companies and the most numerous are Mazda and Subaru. So i find it amusing that so many posters feel that Toyota could have built this car themselves and it could have hit the mark just as directly as the this FT-86/FR-S/BRZ model has. If so, why have they not done it themselves? What model have they made that struck such a strong chord with pure auto enthusiasts in a long time? I feel that this match between Toyota and Subaru is a symbiotic relation that is helping each company tremendously to earn credit and approval from the core of the enthusiast market. But neither could have done it on their own.
Toyota has the resources and ability to make more sports models and to fill in thier overall lineup with better sport models (BMW will help as well). But to read someone who thinks that Toyota is about to throw away this joint project because they can "improve upon it" by themselves makes me laugh. There is no Toyota engine in production or planned that could improve upon the basic premise and design success of this car. They could do many things to differentiate this car more from the Subaru model, but putting an upright 4 cylinder or v-6 is not going to improve it. This car is a boxer, and the only way to improve it is to find a way to get more power out of the same flat, low center of gravity, balanced engine layout. Toyota will have to produce their own car on their own line if they want a different engine in this car as Subaru will not be building it anymore at that point. (You can have a production line that can put different engines in the same car, but it is another mater when the engine installed requires the chassis to be different. And then the chances rise that it comes out no better than the last Celica or Scion tc on the highly desired inexpensive sports car list. This is not an anti-Toyota or pro-Subaru rant. Toyota has the ability and money to do lots of interesting things on the automotive front. I have tried to use facts, history and the reality of what today's car industry is about to bring a realistic understanding of how and why this car exists and to dispel some of the speculation about the future of this car. No doubt I will get lots of comments, disagreements and a few snide remarks from some who totally miss the point and some heartfelt responses from those who have strong feelings about one company or another.