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Tokyo Motor Show
Toyota sports car sets sigh ■ S-FR to debut at Tokyo show ■ New coupé on sale by 2017 Peter Lyon
TOYOTA is set to unveil a stylish new sports car at this month’s Tokyo Motor Show which has its sights set on Mazda’s MX-5. The S-FR – Small Front Engine Rear Drive – concept is a two-seater which Toyota says will become its entry-level sports coupé. The S-FR will go on sale in early 2017 – and it could be sold globally, including in the UK. Pricing would be expected to start around the £13,000 mark. The Japanese company is remaining tight-lipped on performance, but has said it will celebrate the brand’s “fine heritage of lightweight, fun-to-drive sports cars”, and will sit below the current GT86 and planned Supra successor in Toyota’s model range. Sources have indicated to Auto Express that the coupé will tip the scales at about 980kg thanks to a lightweight body, and be powered by a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine generating around 130bhp. Toyota has confirmed it’ll get independent rear suspension and use a six-speed manual gearbox, putting it firmly into MX-5 territory. In fact, the S-FR is almost identical in size and kerbweight to the Mazda. Sharing the stage at Tokyo will be the FCV (Fuel Cell Vehicle Plus) concept (see panel, right). It’s Toyota’s second attempt at a hydrogen-powered car after it launched the Mirai earlier this year. Looking more like a spaceship than a car, the FCV Plus is a four-seat vehicle with a more compact rearrangement of the Mirai’s fuel-cell stack and hydrogen tanks. It can also generate its own
OFFICIAL
“The car will sit below GT86 and be powered by 1.5-litre engine generating around 130bhp”
electricity, enabling it to be used as a portable source of power for use at home. The final piece of the puzzle at Tokyo is the Kikai (see panel). Toyota has taken the machinery usually hidden beneath the car’s body and brought it into the open, making the engine a component of the exterior. From the centrally positioned driver’s seat surrounded by four analogue gauges, the driver can see the suspension struts in motion through glassed viewports, and as Toyota puts it, get a more “instinctive sensory connection” with the vehicle.
Mitsubishi to debut electric SUV MITSUBISHI is also preparing for the Tokyo Motor Show by revealing first pictures of its new eX compact SUV concept. The eX showcases a future allelectric small SUV from the Japanese manufacturer, which will sit alongside the next-generation ASX due in 2017. The eX concept shares a familiar look with another of Mitsubishi’s concepts, the XR-PHEV – which previews the next ASX. The eX has a similar, angular front end with an X-shaped grille motif, while the house high waistline and small glasshouse echo the Range Rover Evoque. Unlike the XR-PHEV, which features a plug-in hybrid, rangeextender powertrain, the eX debuts a purely electric, allwheel-drive system. Although it’s still in its early stages of
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SUV STAR
New concept takes X-shaped grille from XR-PHEV, while high waistline resembles that of the Range Rover Evoque
MX-5 RIVAL
Lightweight coupé is almost same size and weight as bigselling Mazda roadster, at 980kg
RC price tag revealed
LEXUS has announced that its RC coupé will be priced from £34,995 in the UK. Available to order now, the standard RC – which will rival the BMW 4 Series – will be offered with two powertrain options: a 2.5-litre petrol-electric hybrid in the RC 300h and a 241bhp 2.0-litre turbo in the RC 200t. Familiar Luxury, F Sport and Premier trim levels will be offered, with standard equipment across the range including LED headlights and heated leather seats.
dev development, a source at Mitsubishi told Aut Auto Express the eX will make production and form part of a two-pronged attack on the small SUV market by Mitsubishi wit within the next five years. It’s likely to arr arrive in 2018, following the new ASX.
www.autoexpress.co.uk
