A report coming out of Australia finds Toyota is in the early stages of developing an entry-level sports car that will slot beneath the GT86. Like the GT86, the coupe will be sold under the Scion banner in the United States.
The yet-unnamed sports car will ride on a purpose-designed rear-wheel drive platform developed in-house by Toyota. The car will feature a striking design that will fall halfway between a coupe and a hatchback, meaning its silhouette could look roughly similar to that of the Volkswagen Scirocco.
An anonymous source inside Toyota revealed to Australian magazine Motoring that the coupe will stretch 157 inches long, 66 inches wide and 52 inches tall, dimensions that will make it about as big as the Honda CR-Z. Inside, expect the coupe to boast a sporty, driver-focused cockpit with room for up to four passengers in a 2+2 seating configuration.
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Power will come from a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine tuned to generate approximately 134 horsepower and 106 pound-feet of torque. That’s not a massive amount on paper, but it should be plenty considering engineers predict the car will tip the scale at a little over 2,150 pounds thanks to the widespread use of lightweight materials like carbon fiber and aluminum.
A sport-tuned chassis and a stiff suspension setup will give the coupe responsive handling both on the road and on the track. All models will come standard with a six-speed manual transmission, but clutch-adverse buyers will be able to order a six-speed automatic unit at an extra cost.
If the rumor proves true, Toyota will preview its entry-level sports car with a thinly-veiled concept at next year’s edition of the Tokyo Motor Show. The final product will be unveiled at the 2017 edition of the Tokyo gathering and go on sale shortly after.
