Wednesday, March 2, 2011
2011 Geneva Motor Show: Subaru and Toyota reveal co-developed rear-drive sports car
One of the most anticipated debuts at the Geneva Motor Show is pair of a sports coupes jointly developed by Subaru and Toyota. This joint project was spawned from the stake Toyota took in the Fuji Industries subsidiary after it parted ways with General Motors in 2005. Toyota has made the show circuit with its FT-86 concept, trailed by a steady stream of spy photos revealing the car undergoing testing. Car enthusiasts have clamored for production information, and with the unveiling of the two versions in Geneva, there is a closer look at what the final cars will be. The as-yet-unnamed car is small, about the length and wheelbase of the Nissan 370Z. The powertrain in the show cars is a normally-aspirated (non-turbo) 2.0-liter ?boxer? four-cylinder engine from Subaru. Both YES] cars are configured with rear-wheel drive. Clearly, Subaru is deviating from its all-wheel-drive all-the-time marketing mantra. Reportedly, the sports car design cannot accommodate AWD. Subaru, which has reportedly done most of the chassis engineering, displayed an ?engineering study? at the show, while Toyota showed off the body, which the automaker says ?gives clearest indication yet as to the final design of Toyota's next sports car.? The Subaru version will surely share the same proportions, but may have different sheet metal and fascias. Both models are scheduled to go into production in 2012. ?Eric Evarts
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