Toyota GR HV Sports Concept is an open-topped 86 hybrid
Toyota's stand at the Tokyo motor show later this month will feature a concept car called the GR HV Sports Concept - and we have a few questions...
The company calls the matte black sports car a "dramatic open-top sports-car concept inspired by the company's involvement in endurance racing and its legendary Supra and Toyota Sports 800".
Cynics - and we're certainly that - might suggest it's another open-topped 86 concept with a Darth Vader colour scheme, vaguely Bosozoku design cues and 'interesting' headlight/tail-light arrays.
Get past that though and you'll find some very cool trickery, headlined by a racing-inspired hybrid powertrain reminiscent of the Toyota GAZOO Racing TS050 Hybrid from the World Endurance Championship.
It's all in the name. GR is the initials of Toyota's motorsport arm GAZOO Racing while HV stands for hybrid vehicle.
The concept has a front-engine, rear-drive layout with the hybrid battery placed centrally to help front-rear balance and lower the car's centre of gravity.
It features a push-button ignition on the centrally located automatic gear lever, while a six-speed manual operation is available at the press of a button, using a compact H-pattern gearshift. That's cool.
Toyota has previously had a motorsport-inspired hybrid sports-car concept, the FT-HS (Future Toyota Hybrid Sports) that even visited the 2008 Melbourne International Motor Show, if you recall that wonderful time when we had shows here.
That car was capable of a projected 0-100km/h dash in the four-second range, on account of the electric motor's instant torque output.
Toyota has made no secret that there'll be a successor to the current 86 before 2020. Where this concept fits is hard to say, though it's not out of the question for the next model to eventually come with some form of hybridisation.
The blacked-out two seater sports concept will share the Tokyo stage with the Toyota Tj CRUISER concept that "showcases a new vehicle genre by combining the flexibility of an SUV with the storage capacity of a van".
Th 4.3m long Tj CRUISER (the 'T' stands for 'Toolbox' while the 'j' apparently and hilariously refers to "the joy of visiting various places accessible with its part-time all-wheel-drive system") has a bold front, square-shaped cabin, "sturdy suspension" and 20-inch wheels.
It's based on the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform currently used under the C-HR and Prius, and is powered by "2.0-litre class" petrol and hybrid powertrains.
On the inside, it is able to store surfboards and other items up to 3m long due to its fold-flat front and rear passenger seats.
The backs of the seats and deck boards include numerous lashing points to enable easy anchoring of items from small parcels to longer objects. The wide-opening back door makes for easy loading and unloading of large items such as bikes.
The seat cushion on the passenger seat directly behind the driver can be flipped up towards the front to create a unique space for storing shopping bags. The large openings of the sliding doors enable loading and unloading of large items from the sides and easy entry and exit for occupants.
We'll have a few reporters at the Tokyo motor show later in October, so stay tuned for more info
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