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THE next generation of Toyota sports cars are likely to gain more powerful versions of the Prius powertrain as part of a push towards electrification of all the Japanese brand’s drivetrains.
The car maker announced this week it wanted to expand its hybrid offering, aiming to have a variant with some form of electrification – hybrid, plug-in hybrid, fuel cell or full battery power – over the next decade from 2020.
“The HEV line-up will also grow, thanks to the further development of the Toyota Hybrid System II (featured in the current-generation Prius and other models); the introduction of a more powerful version in some models; and the development of simpler hybrid systems in select models, as appropriate, to meet various customer needs,” it said.
Surprisingly, the hybrid-engined GR HV concept features an automatic gearbox with a shift mode that looks very similar to a conventional H-patterned six-speed manual gearbox.
Toyota’s announcement also indicates a version of a sports coupe believed to be the reborn Supra, which will be built in top of a platform shared with the folding ragtop-roofed BMW Z5 convertible, is likely to include a hybrid system.
The brand has already sold around 11 million petrol-electric hybrid-engined cars since it launched the Prius – the poster car for environmentalism – 20 years ago.
NGA, which already sits under the Toyota Prius sedan, C-HR small soft-roader and the now fully imported Camry, is optimised for electrification.
