GT 86 Hybrid. Would you?

[gily25]

Basically it has to almost be the same as the car as it is (which will be hard to do) because it seems to be a cult car now...any loss in power, gain in weight and it'll fail. Slight increase in power could easily overcome a $5k price increase (most owners are probably +/-5k with respect to choosing this car/optioning, just look at the FR-S to BRZ jump) but anything more than that will be a fail.

Simply take out the rear seat, mounts, belts, no one is using and you should easily accomodate for any weight increase of a battery, to then sit in that spot.

I can see this car being a hybrid killer in the general sense that the ones that are on the road now are ugly and/or underpowered (or sa they're hybrid but get just as bad mpg as gasoline), but just like people are accepting this car with only 200hp because the cost is low, people won't pay for the privelege of owning a hybrid coupe.

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by WolfpackS2k

Sounds like a great idea to me IF:

-adds less than $4000 to the cost of the car
-adds about 50 hp / 75 lb-ft torque
-adds 100-150 lbs max
-doesn't reduce trunk/storage space at all
-gas mileage stays the same or increases 10-15%
-doesn't hurt the handling/nimbleness

Otherwise no thanks, just give me a supercharger/turbocharger.

If they could satisfy all those criteria we wouldn't be talking about "if"

It isn't a list of unreasonable criteria, but I don't think any automaker could add it in unless they disregard the tenet you forgot "reliable and cheap to maintain over the life of the vehicle" They could probably do it but I don't think replacing a battery every year is acceptable.

Edit: Soapbox time, cars were achieving 40+ mpg 30 years ago, if mileage and economical was the goal 60mpg diesels would have rendered the prius moot.

[WolfpackS2k]

A hybrid for this car is dumb. Its a low volume vehicle (inconsequential to CAFE calculations) and a hybrid drivetrain is counter intuitive to the ethos of this car - light and simple).

[naikaidriver]

I would rather masturbate with a cheese-grater than drive an 86 as a hybrid.

Scott

[FR-S/GT-86]

Originally Posted by russv

I don't hate the Prius myself and am considering a "C". I'm not convinced the profits from the Prius was the impetus for the 86 development as Toyota is quite profitable (hence my ownership of their stock). A KERS version of the 86 would be interesting but would push the price beyond what most 86 owners would pay. (compare the price of a Yaris vs the Prius C which are close to the same car but a 20-25% price difference). Most KERS system cars are in very high end sports cars (Porsche and Ferrari). Perhaps as development improves the cost will come down.

I do know that Toyota is a very profitable company, but it has not been innovating (other than hybrid technology) beyond what other car manufacturers have been putting out. I didn't say that the Prius profits were the impetus for the GT86, but that without the additional profits they might not have had the extra cash laying around to make the project happen. As for their cars, they seem to be two steps behind most in transmission technology, their basic cars are boring as white bread, and they have let their most popular cars die on the vine (though selling excellent by the numbers, the Corolla is a brown paper bag compared to other small cars and is so woefully behind the times it's almost unspeakable).

My point is the "hate" of the Prius on the forum... and that if they had NOT hit it big with Hybrid Synergy Drive, we almost certainly wouldn't have a sports car. And really, if Toyota was going to make a HyKERS version as an option, it would make sense. It's a natural evolution, in my mind. And it reflects the racing heritage!