Toyota FT-HS Concept: Toyota's New Eco Sports Car

By Motoring Channel Staff - 1/Feb/2006

Detroit, USA — First it was the Toyota Supra in the mid 1990s, and then after canning the Celica and the MR2 Spyder, Toyota is now without a dedicated sports car.

It builds reliable, safe, and user-friendly vehicles, and is the world's #1 car maker, taking the throne from General Motors.

But without a range-topping halo car, something like the Nissan GT-R, or the Mazda RX-8, the company has very little to build on its hugely expensive Formula 1 endeavours.

Most car makers who participate in the Formula 1 World Championship use their racing credentials to improve/advertise their road cars (Honda, Ferrari, Mercedes and BMW are examples), but Toyota has done very little of this.

The FT-HS hybrid sports concept appeared at the 2007 Detroit Motor Show, and everyone took a deep breath. "Is Toyota finally going to cash in on its multiple hundred million dollar investments in Formula 1?"

Though very much a concept car, with a conceptual design that will disgust as many people as it will delight, Toyota explains the new FT-HS concept pairs a potent hybrid powertrain with essential sports car fundamentals, and was a joint undertaking of Calty (Toyota's North American-based research and design centre located in Newport Beach, California) and Toyota's California-based Advanced Product Strategy Group.

Many modern performance cars generate their 300km/h top speeds either through the sheer brute of a large V8 engine, or often forced induction, such as a supercharger or a turbocharger. 

This Toyota concept, however, is different - it uses a 3.5-litre V6 engine coupled with an electric hybrid motor to boost performance. Toyota grabbed the hybrid drive from the Lexus GS450h (reviewed by the Editor, right here) and dropped the hybrid unit into a super light-weight body shell, added big wheels for improved traction, and designed the exterior to be aerodynamic for high speed stability.

Toyota expects to extract some 300kW from the hybrid V6 power system, and the company has acknowledged that there is a gap in its product range that needs to be filled by a high performance and relatively affordable sports car. A reborn hybrid Supra could well be in the offing,and this concept could be the germination of such a project.

The FT-HS, which can seat four passengers in a 2+2 coupe layout and accelerate from zero to 100km/h "in the 4.0 second range" according to Toyota. That's very fast, and especially so for the normally conservative Toyota Motor Corporation.

The Japanese car maker explains the Calty design team was assigned the task of creating a mid-priced sports car that integrates ecology and emotion in a concept.

"Drivers today are not satisfied with cars that are simply fast," said Kevin Hunter, who is the vice president of Calty Design Research.

"In addition to driving enjoyment, today's drivers are concerned about safety, ecology and social responsibility.

"FT-HS redefines the sports car experience, not only with styling but also in function and performance. The FT-HS is Toyota's answer to the question: 'What is a suitable sports car for the 21st Century?," added Hunter.

Incorporating a hybrid capability while maintaining sports car essentials, such as a sleek profile, lightweight aerodynamic materials and an advanced high-output powertrain for revolutionary acceleration and optimal performance, rumours suggest that Toyota may be seriously considering the new design for a production model of the mid-term future.

Toyota explains that the FT-HS will have ultra-low fuel consumption, and that it will appeal to an emerging buyer who grew up eco-conscious and perceives technology as a necessity, not a luxury. It says that at a mid-priced market position, FT-HS would be a true "attainable exotic" with 21st Century performance.

The angular design of the new car will give long-time Toyota fans something to cheer about, giving the car an almost minimalist look and feel, which was led by Calty designer, Alex Shen. From a design perspective, argues Toyota, the theme of the FT-HS achieves sleek, taut surfaces in its exterior features - especially in the doors and body style.

The front and rear have been sculpted to remove mass around key functional components, and free form geometrics define the integration of fluid surfaces and contrasting hard-edge "aero corners" which promote smooth airflow and reduce turbulence - just like an F1 car. 

The roof has a distinctive scooped-out section designed to reduce aerodynamic drag and provide head room at the key areas, and interestingly the concept car is made from carbon fibre Kevlar, and the roof retracts so that the roof panel and back window pivot fluidly in a downward motion to stow in the rear seat space. Exotic and convertible.

At the rear, the tail lamp unit spans the entire rear, and has an integrated retractable spoiler, while light-emitting diode (LED) clusters are located in the headlamps and the front quarter panels for energy efficiency and decreased heat loss. The rear also features a carbon fibre diffuser with integrated exhausts and carbon fibre wheels. To call the FT-HS lightweight is a gross understatement.

The driver-oriented interior was created by Calty designer William Chergosky and exudes sleekness, technology and performance, says Toyota. The lean, skeletal look is achieved with exposed cross-car architecture and high-tech materials such as carbon fibre and titanium, while the delta-wing driver's pod integrates many useful functions into a lightweight structural unit, so that all of the important functions and details are presented almost exclusively to the driver.

For example, explains Toyota, touch-trace sensors surround the driver and act as tactile guides for finger controls when travelling at high speeds, which is augmented by an integrated instrument panel that surrounds the driver, creating an enclosed pod effect, while armrests flow seamlessly into the door and surrounding interior.

It has been revealed by Toyota that the seating layout is optimised for four occupants, but can also coverts to a 2-seater when the roof retracts. The driver also grips a telescoping (and hub-less) steering wheel that incorporates semi-automatic paddle shifters and allows the meter to be shifted forward in order to shorten the driver's focus-time between the road and meter, and ultimately enhance driver focus.

Representing the first phase in Toyota's road back to the performance car fold, this concept car may well evolve into the 2010 Toyota Supra, where twin turbos are replaced by the instantaneous hybrid electric hit, whichprovides a huge performance boost as the Ed's  review of the Lexus GS450h suggests.

Toyota FT-HS Concept Specifications:

Engine: 3.5-litre V6 hybrid electric
Wheels: Carbon fibre
Tyres: Front 245/35 R21; Rear 285/30 R21 

Related articles:
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- Toyota Aurius (concept)
- Toyota Camry (2006)
- Toyota Tarago (2006)
- Toyota RAV4 (2006)
- Toyota Yaris (2006)