Toyota Teases Hybrid-R Concept For Street And Track

Thanks to cars like the GT86/Scion FR-S and the record-setting P002 electric race car, Toyota has started to rekindle a passion for performance that helped them climb to the top of the sales charts. Coming next month is the Hybrid-R sports car concept  that is the product of those passions.

The only details that Toyota has thus far released is the Hybrid-R logo, and that the same (unspecified) technology found in the Toyota TS030 hybrid Le Mans racer will be in the concept. The Hybrid-R concept will be designed for the road and track, bringing racing technology to the streets.

The Hybrid-R won’t be unveiled until the Frankfurt Auto Show next month, and Toyota will probably dribble out a few details here and there. I doubt the Hybrid-R concept will get the TS030’s full hybrid drivetrain, which includes a 530 horsepower 3.4 liter V8 and a 300 horsepower hybrid system.

Then again, a 830 horsepower hybrid supercar would be a shot across the bow at fellow Japanese competitor Honda, which is rolling out a highly-anticipated Acura NSX hybrid supercar in 2015. Another, perhaps more obvious direction for this concept is as a prelude to the rumored return of the Toyota Supra as a performance hybrid. The use of performance hybrid tech may also end up as an option on the GT86/FR-S, so that’s another possibility as well.

Whatever Toyota pulls out of its hat, they have my attention.

Source: Toyota

FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW FIRST NEWS: DEBUT OF NEW HYBRID-R CONCEPT

Toyota will showcase an exciting new concept for road and track at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, featuring Toyota Hybrid System-Racing (THS-R) technology.

THS-R technology has been used in the TS030, Toyota’s FIA World Endurance Championship car, which achieved second place at this year’s Le Mans 24 hours. More information on the concept will be available in the coming weeks.

Toyota’s press conference will begin at 12:45pm on first press day (10 September) in Hall 8.