Rumor: four-door hatchback baby FR-S around $20,000 by 2016

[wbradley]

Rear drive hatch? They used to call it a Chevette.now THAT was a wonderful car...







...NOT!

[daiheadjai]

Originally Posted by Saber_TRD

I think all of us Celica drivers want our Celica back

My Celica doubled as a snowplow today.

[jmaryt]

Originally Posted by Asterisked Accolade

I want a new Celica. Doesn't Toyota understand the world revolves around me and my needs?

this should be easily understood on their part,
as YOU are the one in possession of the folding green.

[jmaryt]

Originally Posted by Asterisked Accolade

I want a new Celica. Doesn't Toyota understand the world revolves around me and my needs?

Originally Posted by fistpoint

The twins were supposed to be under $20k too...

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

Actually I think it was on Episode One of this season's Top Gear UK already this season.

leave him alone! he's happy!

[Jaylyons1]

"but what’s left for enthusiasts who can’t afford the car’s $25,255 price of entry?"

These people should not purchase a performance car, bottom line. If they can't afford a car this cheap, then they won't be able to afford to maintain a performance car. Not to mention that a cheaper version will attract more new buyers which in turn will jack up insurance rates.

The world gets a great, budget minded performance car and they just ask for more. They just can't be happy with the awesomeness they are provided.

[Ninjin]

Originally Posted by SubieNate

Care to explain? Can't be any more difficult than an AWD hatch and Subaru and many others have been doing that for ages.

Mostly it comes down to the drive train taking up space under the rear of the car, resulting in less available space inside the car, and more engineering challenges to overcome getting everything to fit. It's certainly possible, I just don't see the attraction for Toyota to actually do it.

Subaru and BMW have great platforms to build on, and it would probably be easier and cheaper if Toyota could carry over a lot of the 86 platform, but given what sounds like a very different body style and drive train, I'm not sure how much it would share.

[ThePoet]

I'm not gonna lie, I'd be on board for one of these stateside. But I'd swap out the BRZ style spoiler for the TRD spoiler. And I love the body color rear diffuser.

[switchlanez]

Let's piece together a bunch of official statements we have seen.

1] Toyota plans to release an upmarket sports car and a more entry level sports car with the 86 in the middle. Toyoda asked Tada to make a Supra successor ASAP. So a baby FR-S will come but *not* til after the Supra successor.

2] The Toyota x BMW collaboration will have a "mid-sized sports vehicle" proposal within a year. The big purpose of this collaboration is for hybrid technology development. Tada-san announced the Supra successor will have some sort of driver assist that will "wow" the world. With Toyota having won multiple endurance races these last few years largely due to their entries utilizing hybrid/electric technology, we can bet that "wow" factor will be a hybrid performing at the supercar level. The BMW twin may be the next Supra and/or a Lexus. But hybrid and/or mid-sized sports vehicle does not scream $20,000.

3] Toyota said these sports cars need a ~5 year development cycle. There's no way it will come in 2016 unless a) they started development 2 years ago while they were developing the 86 and b) it is being developed in parallel with the next Supra (which has the higher priority right now).

If you look at what Toyota has been doing these recent years/months/weeks, I don't see where the baby FR-S fits into any of it. It seems like another rumor being spread just to gain readership. There's so much official evidence saying it isn't happening anytime soon. This rumor seems so out of place/random... and it has the stupidest timing lol.

[Sleeperz]

Toyota use to make rear drive hatch both in the knotch back and fast back desgin. They called the 2dr fastback a Coupe - TE72.

Originally Posted by wbradley

Rear drive hatch? They used to call it a Chevette.now THAT was a wonderful car...







...NOT!

[STJ]

Originally Posted by switchlanez

Let's piece together a bunch of official statements we have seen.

1] Toyota plans to release an upmarket sports car and a more entry level sports car with the 86 in the middle. Toyoda asked Tada to make a Supra successor ASAP. So a baby FR-S will come but *not* til after the Supra successor.

2] The Toyota x BMW collaboration will have a "mid-sized sports vehicle" proposal within a year. The big purpose of this collaboration is for hybrid technology development. Tada-san announced the Supra successor will have some sort of driver assist that will "wow" the world. With Toyota having won multiple endurance races these last few years largely due to their entries utilizing hybrid/electric technology, we can bet that "wow" factor will be a hybrid performing at the supercar level. The BMW twin may be the next Supra and/or a Lexus. But hybrid and/or mid-sized sports vehicle does not scream $20,000.

3] Toyota said these sports cars need a ~5 year development cycle. There's no way it will come in 2016 unless a) they started development 2 years ago while they were developing the 86 and b) it is being developed in parallel with the next Supra (which has the higher priority right now).

If you look at what Toyota has been doing these recent years/months/weeks, I don't see where the baby FR-S fits into any of it. It seems like another rumor being spread just to gain readership. There's so much official evidence saying it isn't happening anytime soon. This rumor seems so out of place/random... and it has the stupidest timing lol.

The small RWD toyota has been in development for some time now, it was the brain child of late toyota test driver Hiromu Naruse.



Toyota even made this Aygo GRMN RWD concept a few years ago.
And i don't think Akio Toyoda would dare to cancel this car because of its relation to Naruse.

And the 1.5 rumour makes sense, the 1NZ-FE has been used in turbo form with an output of 150HP.

[Allch Chcar]

It's not like I believe Motortrend anymore, after all the stuff that they said during FT86 development. But the baby RWD hatch has been a rumor for a few years now. I believe the original rumor was in 2010, so at least 3 years behind the first FT86 rumors.

Some of things that I see are still the same with this rumor is: 5 door hatchback, RWD, front engine, and a sub <2 liter engine, and the Sub $20k starting price. 150HP doesn't sound too bad, just depends on how light they get it.

[FR_Soldier_77]

I had an 82 SR-5 back in the day, if I knew then what I know now, I might of kept her..

[reni]

Originally Posted by Jaylyons1

"but what’s left for enthusiasts who can’t afford the car’s $25,255 price of entry?"

These people should not purchase a performance car, bottom line. If they can't afford a car this cheap, then they won't be able to afford to maintain a performance car. Not to mention that a cheaper version will attract more new buyers which in turn will jack up insurance rates.

The world gets a great, budget minded performance car and they just ask for more. They just can't be happy with the awesomeness they are provided.

this.

Adjusted for inflation, an S14 base model would be about $33k, loaded close to $40k, which was very similar to the current 86, but with 40-50 less hp and a much worse chassis. The Japanese supercars of the 90s like Supra, FD, etc would be close to Cayman prices in today's dollars. I think people sometimes forget how good we have it these days in terms of cheap performance cars.

btw there already is is an 86 for $20k, it's a stripped version called the RC model in Japan.

[TyperRspec789]

I remember reading about a cheaper under $20k version of the FRS/GT86 YEARS ago. It would be cool if this became fact. My next car after I'm done paying this one off will probably be an WRX/STI or this rumored car.