Toyota and Subaru worked together to develop their respective sports cars, the 86 and BRZ, but recent reports suggest that Toyota is keen to enter in partnership with BMW and kerb Subaru to the side.
This comes in light of Toyota turning to BMW for assistance in the development of its new flagship sports car, based on the FT-1 concept, and to develop future sports cars, including a next-generation 86.
When asked if Subaru would still remain involved in the 86 program, Toyota engineer Tetsuya Tada said: “Maybe, but this is not decided at the moment.”
Tada, who is the man responsible for the 86 and future Toyota sports cars, said that Toyota would eventually have a sports car line-up that would consist of three models: the 86, and a model launched below it and another above it. All three sports cars would feature rear-wheel drive.
The 86 is set for a mid-cycle update in 2015, with the engine remaining naturally aspirated but more powerful. A boxer four with a larger displacement or upgraded intakes and exhausts are possibilities.
Tada said of the next-generation 86: “Maybe next-generation 86 must have some kind of eco technology like racing hybrid.”
Hybrid systems are set to feature in the planned Toyota sports cars, with the new 86 benefiting from a super-capacitor-based hybrid system, similar to the one in Toyota’s latest Le Mans prototype. In this regard, BMW, with all its hybrid technology and resources, is a good option for Toyota to be aligned with. This would signal why Toyota is opting for BMW, as Subaru may not have much more to offer.
Asked if BMW is being considered as a replacement for Subaru, Tada said: “That is one possibility.”
BMW would not only play a major role in the development of hybrid systems, but also in the development of a new sports car platform that will be the base of one model for Toyota and another for BMW (likely a Z4 replacement).
– Charlen Raymond
