The Toyota FT-86 coupe will not go on sale until 2013 at the earliest, company sources in Japan have told Autocar.
The rear-drive coupe, which has been co-developed with Subaru, was originally tipped to go on sale in 2011, but its development has been plagued with problems.
The latest delay has been reported in Japan as being down to the country’s current economic situation, while the firm is also believed to be waiting to see how successful the new Honda CR-Z is.
That car’s success could lead to a hybrid version of the FT-86 being available from launch.
Currently powering the FT-86 is Subaru’s four-cylinder boxer engine; Toyota is working on improving the economy and efficiency of this unit and this has led to the projected base price being increased by more than £2000 to around £15,000 in Japan.
These increasing development costs have moved the FT-86 away from its original design brief of being a cheap, rear-drive sports car.
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Re: Toyota FT-86 delayed until 2013
Depressing. Hope you are wrong. It's not like it makes any significant difference to the environment.
Re: Toyota FT-86 delayed until 2013
Too bad they don't make the good old I6 engines any more. They are both simpler than a V6 and basically a better design, except for the space requirements.
Then again, i always hoped that the Supra would be reborn with a twin turbo V8
Re: Toyota FT-86 delayed until 2013