Interesting announcement from Subaru
 

My daily blog from Automotive News included this this morning:

Toyota sports car to arrive in 2011 with Subaru engine

Hans Greimel
Automotive News
April 10, 2008 - 10:46 am ET

TOKYO -- Toyota's long-anticipated sports car will arrive in 2011. It will be jointly developed with Su-baru and boast a boxer engine.
The compact, rear-wheel-drive " affordable" car will be built at a new Japanese plant to be set up by Fuji Heavy Industries, parent of the Subaru brand. Each company will market the car separately and badge it as its own. The model is part of a sweeping expansion of the tie-up between the Japanese companies.

At a news conference here today, CEO Katsuaki Watanabe also said that Toyota Motor Corp. would boost its stake in Fuji Heavy to 16.5 percent, from its current 8.7 percent. Toyota will pay 31.1 billion yen ($311 million) for the increased holding, effectively snapping up the last of the shares sold back to Fuji Heavy by General Motors in 2005.

Under the growing partnership, Toyota will supply Fuji Heavy with a compact car. Fuji Heavy also will start receiving minivehicles -- cars with engines no bigger than 660cc -- from Toyota affiliate Daihatsu, start-ing in 2009.

No more minicars
Fuji Heavy will eventually jettison all of its own minicar development.
Under the hood of the sports car will be Subaru's trademark horizontally opposed engine. The companies did not say how many cylinders the engine will have. The car will sit on a new Subaru platform and be " de-signed" by Toyota, the companies said. " I think there is high potential for this car," Watanabe said, adding that it will be sold in Japan and overseas. " We haven't had a sports car for a long time. This is a long-awaited-for model." Pricing would be " not prohibitively high," he said.

Other details, such as engine displacement and production volume, are under wraps. But Fuji Heavy President Ikuo Mori said he has driven the test vehicle and is pleased.
" I'm confident we have an excellent car," Mori said.

New Fuji plant
Fuji Heavy will build a plant next to its Gunma Oizumi engine and transmission factory to manufacture the sports car. It will start operation in late 2011. Work there may expand to include other Toyota-commissioned vehicles, Mori said. Fuji Heavy is deciding how big to make the plant and how much money to invest.

The new car fills a gap left by the retirement of the MR2 two-seater. Toyota's midengined MR2 dates back to 1984. It was rechristened the MRS in 1999 and retired last year. Other sporty models over the years have included the Celica, which was discontinued in 2006, and the Supra, on the roads for nearly a quarter of a century from 1978 to 2002.

Watanabe said the success of the joint manufacturing at Fuji Heavy's Lafayette, Ind., plant pushed him to go ahead with the sports car. That plant now makes Camrys for Toyota. " We thought what might be the next step," he said. " Fuji Heavy is a very reliable partner. I hope to identify new areas for collaboration as we continue with the relationship."

Thought you all would be interested.

Paul

Am I the only one that read that as

now your talking!

:D:D:D

What I'm seeing is: A Subaru engineered platform with a body/interior designed by Toyota. Could we be on the verge of seeing a good looking new Subie? Dare I hope?

Yeah like the Tercel wagon, 1st gen Rav4 and the ever stylish Corolla:D

Please don't say they're going to stick a Subaru engine in a car with a Toyota badge. That's just blasphemy.

...if it has the taillights of the lexus Is, I'm in... I have an odd obsession with them recently :eek:

Madness?

THIS
IS
MERGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

I can't wait to see this car, honestly. Should be pretty cool.

(And the current Impreza sedan looks like a Toyota anyway...)

Other than RWD celica's, early MR2's, and late 80's/early 90's supras, there's not much I like about toyota. They've left the sports car era, and are doing economy class vehicles, which are valued at a dime a dozen. Nothing stands out about their vehicles. I just hope this is done right...

Hmm...kinda like Subaru's current lineup! :rolleyes::D

Way better than the Chevy-badged Foresters GM was selling in India.

Just what the world needs; another "sports" car. Gas will soon cost four bucks per gallon. Somebody wake me when Subaru announces a revolutionary, high-mileage, sporty commuter (that's not upchuck-ugly).

dcb

In another word, the buick of japan! :D

The WRX STi is quite standing out. Speed close to the fastest of corvettes, for less than half the price, with all the modern technologies available. When's the last time Toyota did something interesting? Last time I thought about them was when they re-introduced the MR2 in early 2000's.

Thanks for the info Paul, that is interesting all right.

Subaru had a pretty concept car at the Tokyo 2003 show. They called it the B9 Scrambler. [nothing related to the Tribeca SFAIK] It was supposed to be AWD with variable height suspension for off road stuff, and it was meant to have a hybrid engine.

If it comes out looking as good as that concept did, it would sell by the shed-loads.

Joe

I was just about to post something about the b9 scrambler too... But it looks like it'll finally be competition to the Miata. The Saturn Sky, Dodge Demon, and another that escapes me, came close, but failed, in weight, power, maneuverability, comfort, virtually every category. But at least people are trying.

But.........
 

BUT.........fugly as dirt. Would be nice to see a good looking sporty car with the Subaru badge. :rolleyes:

Lee

I already have one.....:D

Couple Japanese Car mag scans about the Toyota/Subaru car:

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o...gspics-7-1.jpg
http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o...gspics-8-8.jpg

Cool?
 

Why rear wheel drive... In 2011? The world has gone mad. I was counting the days till the B-11 became a reality

That's the best looking RSX or modern Celica I've seen in days!:D

....check!

oddly the toyota version as a whole looks better though. does remind me a bit of that mid90s celica. I'll have to ask around at work if anyone has been engaged about this yet..

About the time....
 

:eek:The whole world finally started doing AWD, Subaru lets Toyota talk them into abandoning it! Toyota isn't half the car that Subaru is.

If we can't depend on Subaru, then what can we depend on??

I think it stinks :mad:

Disappointed

Keith

The new car is not bad for a toyota, but for a subaru sbx/svx I would like to see our svx body with updated lines and new front and rear lights of course. Not sure about the windows, but it must have AWD.:rolleyes:

for sure...
 

What are they thinking??????????

Fuji teamed with Toyota for its first front drive vehicle. I can't remember the model. Maybe like 1973??

Subaru needs to stick to 100% AWD. That is their big brand indentity.

After years (decades?) of being exclusively AWD, in the mid 90's they tried to make the cars more affordable by offering FWD options (at least on the SVX, was this on other models too?). Totally dilutes the brand and they knew it, that strategy only lasted a couple years and then they came back with the Beauty of All Wheel Drive and their pride in being 100% AWD. They don't need to change that.

Sure, their entry models are more expensive because of it. But who cares, I thought they were trying to become a "premium brand" anyway? I read an article a couple years ago that said Subaru's goal was to have public perception be on par with Audi by 2010 or something like that. Of course their new designs have suggested that plan may have been scrapped. :rolleyes:

If they want to share with Toyota that's fine I guess. I mean Mercedes shared with Dodge for a while. I just hope the brand doesn't get dilluted any further. And if they are going to share a sports car, let the Toyota be RWD and the Subie be AWD with more luxury options. They'll probably want to throw a Lexus version in there too to top off the line.

Should we write a petition to keep Subaru 100% AWD? :confused:

That is for sure!
 

Not sure the signed petition would help, Macgyver! Sometimes they lose a lot in the translation.

(If we wanted a stupid Toyata, we would just go buy one.)

Keith

Subaru was never 100% AWD untill 97 in the US, so they have been 100% AWD (in the US) for 11 years now

The original 92 SVX was the first time they offered a car only in AWD...

Really? :eek: Wow, shows how much I know. :D

Okay, well still, 11 years is a legacy to build on..... :p

I couldn't disagree more with you're rant.:D The best subies I've driven are fwders or part time 4wd. AWD isn't all that its cracked up to be for 80% of potential buyers and actually is costing you about $.35 more per gallon in gas alone. If the CAFE standards are changed to what is currently on the books (40mpg average) Subaru will need to offer either fwd or rwd to raise their standards. Then at least we'd get the cars Subaru doesn't sell here. I'd still love a duel range forester turbo. It would be so much fun to yank Jeeps and Hummers out when they get stuck!:D

If they want to be like Audi then they should be selling 45 percent fwders!

Yep...Subaru started out in the US with the 360, which was a 2 cylinder, Rear Wheel Drive car...:eek:

:lol::lol::lol:

Well 57 if you include Fuji Dot legal vehicles in rwd auto only 2 and 4 stroke scooters. First awd Subaru is only what 22 years old roughly 1/2 the age of SOA.

Well yeah, I knew that, I've actually been around a couple of these and seen them actually driving around at meets.

I was just thinking more by the time they got into the 80's, based on all the GL's I've ever been around. Likewise with all the 90's generation models. But up here in the NW, maybe almost all Subarus were equipped that way. And certainly any still on the road are enthusiast's cars that are more than likely the AWD version (generally around here they are lifted and muddy).

Also note that I am an idiot and making no distinction between AWD (full time) and Part Time 4WD. Most of the 80's cars I'm talking about are probably the latter. :o

I had a 5-speed, dual-range, 4WD GL that was an awesome "all-road vehicle" (as Subaru used to say), and I've often wondered why they elected to stop offering such a simple and functional drivetrain. Given sufficient ground clearance (or not) that thing would go anywhere. In low you'd have to give it gas to descend a steep hill; great on snow or ice.

Time was Subaru had a lock on the AWD market, but now it's old news, and it would be good if they'd get back to focusing on innovative, durable, economical (and less ugly) vehicles. AWD-everything really doesn't make much sense.

dcb

Agree
 

Totally agree. Subaru is giving up much of the market by not selling other vehicles. It will give up more as fuel gets more expensive and AWD vehicles are only bought when absolutely necessary for the area and climate. Agree on the ugly comment too.

Lee

You're coming around now Lee!;). Lets start importing duel range trannys from S. America and offer conversions for all the awders out there. Imagine a duel range SVX!:D