Toyota FT-HS Concept @ NAIAS - Page 2

siko · 12-26-2006, 10:17 AM

Bruce... I changed the title from "ToMoConcept" to "Toyota FT-HS Concept" so people don't post duplicates.

Bruce · 12-26-2006, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by siko

Bruce... I changed the title from "ToMoConcept" to "Toyota FT-HS Concept" so people don't post duplicates.

No problem, Thanks

Deutsch · 12-26-2006, 09:31 PM

Awesome write by Edmunds, makes sense of what may seem to be the cars somewhat quirky features:

Quote:

The Detroit auto show is a huge theater, a Las Vegas-like stage where carmakers do their best to thrill and amaze a world audience. Toyota will step up this year and present its FT-HS Hybrid Sports Concept, a futuristic sports car that would be powered by a 400-horsepower hybrid powertrain.

Of course, the Toyota FT-HS Hybrid Sports Concept is just a concept, little more than a container for the overheated dreams of a bunch of designers at Calty Design Research, Toyota's design studio in Newport Beach, California. In fact, what you see here is only a two-dimensional animation, a computer-generated image of the show car that Toyota will roll out at the Detroit auto show on Sunday, January 7, 2007.

Whatever, it's enough to get us thinking about the next Toyota Supra, which the automaker feels it needs to compete with Nissan's one-two high-performance punch of the 350Z and the coming Skyline GT-R.

Introducing a Prius on steroids
"We feel there's a hole in our lineup," says Kevin Hunter, the vice president of Calty Design Research. "Toyota hasn't had a sports car since the Supra was dropped in 1997. We need some emotional punch in our lineup, a halo product."

Toyota envisions that punch to be a rear-wheel-drive Hybrid Sports Concept (HSC) that develops 400 horsepower. "It's a new kind of sports car for the 21st century," adds Hunter. "Eco and emotion in a sports car concept with a performance target of 0-60 mph in about 4 seconds and a price tag in the mid-$30,000 range."

A 3.5-liter V6 engine would deliver most of the thrust, and it doesn't require too much brainpower to connect the dots to the DOHC 3.5-liter V6 in the Lexus GS 450h, which already makes 292 hp at 6,500 rpm. You wouldn't have to look too far to find an electric motor to deliver the rest, because the water-cooled, 650V electric motor used in the GS 450h makes 197 hp at peak output, though this is just for seconds at a time.

The Calty designers, who have been working on the FT-HS for an entire year, are even willing to suggest that once the future arrives, a hybrid powertrain will be necessary to achieve the feeling of ultrahigh-performance that you want in a sports car. In a fuel-efficient future, a jolt of acceleration from an electric motor might become the equivalent of an injection of nitrous oxide into your gas-powered engine.

All this has overtones of ecological friendliness, of course, but as the buzz about global warming and greenhouse gases becomes a part of daily life, Calty's designers remind us that a hybrid powertrain will have a certain quotient of respectability that you won't find in a supercharged big-block V8. The FT-HS is even painted white because white is not only a pure motorsports color, but it's clean which, Hunter tell us, supports the car's hybrid message.

Putting it in a package
The FT-HS Hybrid Sports Concept that Toyota will roll out at the Detroit auto show is about the size of the Lexus SC 430. The HSC measures 170.3 inches from tip to tail, and it has a wheelbase of 104.3 inches. It's 73.2 inches wide and 50.8 inches high. Much like the SC 430, the front track is narrowly wider at 63 inches, while the rear track measures 61.2 inches.

This is meant to be a 2+2-style car, large enough for occasional backseat passengers. We probably shouldn't be surprised that it's nearly as big as a Corvette, since it's going to take a lot of space to package an engine, a fuel tank, an electric motor and a battery pack. The restrictive trunk volume of the Lexus GS 430h shows us just how difficult this task can be.

The HSC's long wheelbase should help balance the weight of the sizable battery pack that will be required. In fact, the HSC's weight distribution might even approach the magic mean of 50-percent front/50-percent rear as a result.

Shaping the future
The HSC has a hyperaggressive triangular profile, and this theme is repeated throughout the design. Meanwhile, much of the mass has been subtracted beneath the surface to create a shape that looks like an insect's exoskeleton.

Apparently the design has been inspired by the look of a downhill speed skier, in which individual aerodynamic elements are more important than overall streamlining. "Vibrant clarity is our new Toyota design language," Hunter tells us. "And the car is packing plenty of J-Factor, which is the local and global acceptance of Japanese design."

As envisioned by the Calty team, the engine will be visible through a hole in the hood to emphasize its hybrid nature. That dark portion in the middle of the hood is actually the engine cover poking through, much like a shaker hood scoop from the 1960s.

"We were thinking about the Formula 1 aesthetic," Hunter tells us. "An aesthetic driven by function. The hard edges all over the FT-HS are aerodynamically functional. We also wanted to boil down the shape of the car to its minimum requirements. We wanted it to look lightweight. We call that 'Subtractive Mass.'"

Also functional are the large air intakes ahead of the rear wheelwells, which will direct cooling air to the rear-mounted battery pack. A full belly pan enhances aerodynamic slipperiness. The car rides on carbon-fiber wheels that carry 245/35ZR-21 tires in front and 285/30ZR-21 tires in the rear and according to Hunter were very difficult to make.

Solo space
Toyota's designers also postulate a unique retractable roof, which will slide and then lie down inside the car covering the backseat, rendering the car a two-seater. Thanks to the tiny servo-motors we see in motorized hardtops these days, perhaps anything is possible, and the top is functional on the concept car.

The interior has the same aggressive style as the exterior, and the sharp edges look to us like the work of Edward Scissorhands. Toyota calls it "Solo Space." "The interior is all about the driver," says Hunter. The seats are little more than thin pads attached to the surrounding structure, and the driver is meant to hold a hubless steering wheel, an ever popular feature of design renderings since the 1960s. There are also paddle shifters on the unique steering wheel, which has a unique outer red ring that turns around an inner ring.

If Toyota builds it, will they come?
There's a lot about the Toyota FT-HS Hybrid Sports Concept that reminds us of the far-fetched sketches that production designers create for bad sci-fi movies. It's pretty unlikely that the muscle-car fanatics within Cobo Hall at the Detroit auto show will spare it a second glance. But we still think there's a glimmer of a good idea in this concept.

The Toyota Supra left these shores 10 years ago and Lexus took over the prestige role for the whole company. But as Toyota has crafted generation after generation of reliable yet uninspiring automobiles, the family of Toyota buyers has begun to look a little old. A sports car might be the right thing to wake up a new generation, especially since Toyota has a relevant performance heritage thanks to ownership of a Formula 1 team since 2002, a piece of victory at the 2003 Indianapolis 500, and a new fleet of cars in NASCAR's Nextel Cup for 2007.

The technical challenge presented by a hybrid sports car isn't small. Lithium-ion batteries are about half the weight of nickel-metal-hydride cells, but they are extremely sensitive to temperature and burst into flames when overheated. In addition, lithium-ion batteries don't like to be recharged quickly.

Yet efficiency is a cool thing in our culture these days. It's even about to become cooler, because the power structure in Formula 1 is talking about regenerative braking for the racing cars by the 2009 season and the reuse of waste engine heat by 2010. Since Toyota's F1 team will be on the leading edge of this development, the technology should find its way into its street cars like the HSC.

There's a lot about the look of the Toyota FT-HS Hybrid Sports Concept that might seem awfully speculative to the crowd at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show, but it's probably a mistake to dismiss it. Inside this computer-generated image is a dream of a Toyota Supra for the future.

Merc1 · 12-27-2006, 01:40 AM

So there more than likely will be both a Lexus sports can and a new Supra. Both are going to have get a major styling miracle though. One is ugly the other is beyond ugly. My god is everyone at Toyota blind?

M

siko · 01-04-2007, 09:42 AM

- ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Bruce · 01-04-2007, 09:54 AM

Thanks for the update Martin.

Bartek Sikorski · 05-09-2007, 11:36 PM

Toyota FT-HS Concept is a Go For 2009

- ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

In addition to the redefined Prius range ( - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER,) Toyota will launch the production version of the hybrid-engine FT-HS coupe in 2009. Although the final design hasn't officially been chosen, the Calty studio's proposal got the nod earlier this year. The sporty two-seater effectively follows the much-loved Supra. As far as hybrid technology goes, it's still too early for the next big step forward, sources say. That's why all Prius models are fitted with improved hardware and software but not yet with the lighter and more compact driveline modules of the show cars. As soon as lithium-ion batteries become more durable and affordable, Toyota intends to offer its first plug-in full hybrid, which promises to be a breakthrough technology for emissions-sensitive markets.
- ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

- ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

12-26-2006, 10:17 AM	#11 (permalink)
siko Devotee Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Montreal, Canada Posts: 3,586 My Mood: Thanks: 815 Thanked 688 Times in 362 Posts	Re: ToMoConcept by Toyota Bruce... I changed the title from "ToMoConcept" to "Toyota FT-HS Concept" so people don't post duplicates.

12-27-2006, 01:40 AM	#14 (permalink)
Merc1 Contributor Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Aurora IL USA Posts: 4,955 Thanks: 363 Thanked 672 Times in 346 Posts	Re: Toyota FT-HS Concept @ NAIAS So there more than likely will be both a Lexus sports can and a new Supra. Both are going to have get a major styling miracle though. One is ugly the other is beyond ugly. My god is everyone at Toyota blind? M

01-04-2007, 09:42 AM	#15 (permalink)
siko Devotee Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Montreal, Canada Posts: 3,586 My Mood: Thanks: 815 Thanked 688 Times in 362 Posts	Re: Toyota FT-HS Concept @ NAIAS - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

01-04-2007, 09:54 AM	#16 (permalink)
Bruce Crazy Canadian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: British Columbia Posts: 9,457 My Mood: Thanks: 3,577 Thanked 2,898 Times in 1,767 Posts Blog Entries: 2	Re: Toyota FT-HS Concept @ NAIAS Thanks for the update Martin.

05-09-2007, 11:36 PM	#17 (permalink)
Bartek Sikorski Advocate Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 771 Thanks: 277 Thanked 510 Times in 248 Posts	Re: Toyota FT-HS Concept @ NAIAS Toyota FT-HS Concept is a Go For 2009 - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER In addition to the redefined Prius range ( - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER,) Toyota will launch the production version of the hybrid-engine FT-HS coupe in 2009. Although the final design hasn't officially been chosen, the Calty studio's proposal got the nod earlier this year. The sporty two-seater effectively follows the much-loved Supra. As far as hybrid technology goes, it's still too early for the next big step forward, sources say. That's why all Prius models are fitted with improved hardware and software but not yet with the lighter and more compact driveline modules of the show cars. As soon as lithium-ion batteries become more durable and affordable, Toyota intends to offer its first plug-in full hybrid, which promises to be a breakthrough technology for emissions-sensitive markets. - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Honda Accord Coupe Concept @ 2007 NAIAS	siko	Japanese Cars	15	01-16-2007 02:03 AM
Toyota Avalon: A problem for Toyota's reputation?	cawimmer430	The Pit	20	05-02-2006 10:26 AM
2006 Geneva International Auto Show	siko	The Pit	101	03-15-2006 01:13 PM
Toyota to Compete in NASCAR	siko	Formula 1 & Other Motorsports	5	01-24-2006 05:55 PM
AutoWeek's Top Vehicles of 2006 NAIAS.	Yannis	The Pit	1	01-13-2006 02:31 PM

Search Cloud