With the introduction tonight of the 2013 Scion FR-S, the triumvirate of oh-so-similar sport coupes born of the joint venture between and is complete. The FR-S is what we Americans will get from the Scion brand, as opposed to the Toyota GT 86 that Europeans get and the Subaru-branded BRZ.
Believe it or not, but the FR-S will make a five-car brand when it joins the , , and next year. It is by far the most performance-oriented, thanks to its rear-wheel-drive architecture, relatively light weight and low center of gravity, the latter thanks to its Subaru-derived four-cylinder 2.0-liter boxer engine with Toyota’s D4-S direct injection system. As with the GT 86 and BRZ, the FR-S will also produce 200 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 151 lb-ft at 6,600 rpm. Transmission choices are also the same with a six-speed manual or automatic with paddle shifters.
With its introduction, the FR-S also marks the return of some excitement to Toyota’s lineup of products in the U.S., even if it is branded as a Scion. The Japanese automaker hasn’t offered a true performance machine in the U.S. since the MR2 Spyder ended production in 2007. The more hardcore Supra disappeared from American soil almost a decade earlier in 1998.
We’re busy grabbing the first live shots of the FR-S at its unveiling in LA, so go ahead and to read the official word from Toyota, which is the same as it was for the GT 86 and BRZ, while we keep shooting.
If is serious about its electrification efforts, it has to offer more than the pint-sized in the States. That’s where the Concept PX-MiEV II comes in.
What you’re looking at is the plug-inhybrid version of the 2013 , something Mitsubishi confirms is set to go on sale sometime in 2012.
A traditional 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine is mounted up front, but each rear axle has an electric motor that’s fed power by a lithium-ion battery pack spanning the floor. Mitsubishi claims the MX-MiEV II can run up to 31 miles on electric power alone, and if you mash the gas the system switches to parallel hybrid mode by engaging the engine. All told, you should be able to make it up to 500 miles on a single tank, but if you’re commute is less than 15 miles, you could go gas-free for months.
We’ve always had a soft spot for the Daihatsu Copen. Granted, it always struck us as an overly effeminate , but that’s not a particularly bad thing. But after nearly a decade of production, Daihatsu has to move on, so across the way from the “Ultimate Edition” Copen at the is this, the Daihatsu DX concept.
An odd amalgamation of Kei car size and SUV styling, the D-X features a retractable hard top and composite body panels that Daihatsu claims can be swapped out at will. Keeping within the Kei car limits in Japan, the D-X is powered by a turbocharged two-cylinder engine outputting around 60 horsepower and spinning the front wheels. We couldn’t get a straight answer from the Daihatsu reps on the floor, but based on the model years we through out in broken Japanese, we should be seeing the D-X in production form late next year.
Remember Honda’s from the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show? has updated it for 2011 in the form of this, the N Concept 4. Like the EV-N, this showcar harkens back to Honda’s original N series of minicars from the 1960s, typified by the .
The N Concept 4 was a surprise presentation from the automaker, and while Honda is not yet issuing further details about it, officials tell Autoblog that this car will go into production next year as the next model in its growing N series of Kei cars. The production version will undoubtedly be powered by a 660 cubic-inch gasoline engine, though whether it will receive some sort of forced induction is an open question.
We love the car’s mix of rounded features as they disguise the overall form’s boxy proportions and we hope Honda can find a way of preserving the N4’s bright-eyed, friendly face when they make the inevitable switch to production lighting. Check out all the cuteness in our high-res gallery.
and have certainly set the internet afire with the BRZ and GT86. Critics and naysayers are already deriding the vehicles as too low on power to survive in a world where the packs over 300 horsepower and the base boasts a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine good for 210 ponies. But you know what? They can stuff all that nonsense. At the end of the day, curb weight has as much to do with a vehicle’s fun factor as any horsepower figure, and given that the Subaru BRZ tips the scales at a shave under 2,700 pounds, the machine should be a blast to fling around a road course.
Now Subaru has given us a glimpse of what that might look like with a new video of the vehicle. While the clip is set to some seriously painful adult contemporary tunes, images of the 200-horsepower boxer-four coupe getting sideways are what dreams are made of. to check it out for yourself.
Now more than ever, there’s a good chance a camera is watching you when you’re doing something stupid. Whether it’s dumping your Bugatti Veyron in a Texas marsh or crashing your during an impromptu street race, you may have to answer the unblinking eye of YouTube the next time things go squirrely behind the wheel.
Police in Montgomery County, Texas have reopened an investigation into a crash involving two . Officers on the scene originally called the crash an accident but decided to take a second look after a video of the two sports cars racing from light to light surfaced on the web.
As of right now, the clip has garnered more than 2.3 million views since it was uploaded on November 24. While no charges have been filed as of yet, there’s a good chance that these drivers may get slapped with a street racing offense in the coming days. Remember kids, keep it on the track and off the streets. to watch the video again.
Day Corvette crash may result in charges [w/video]
The has been absent for just one model year, but the natives are restless. With little concrete information out there about the next generation Viper, and officials about their halo car, anything that surfaces is big news. So how about this for the biggest news yet: Chrysler’s SRT Brand President and CEO Ralph Gilles has announced in the pages of Viper magazine that the 2013 Viper will be introduced at the in early April.
So what might we expect to learn in the next four months? The biggest question is what kind of power the snake will be packing under its unnaturally long hood. Anything other than a V10 would be heresy, so , trumping every other Mopar mill to ever roll out of an engine plant.
is that the Viper will be based on a sports car from the Fiat stable, like the or . (One rumor even had the new Viper incorporating some sort of .) Some of this conjecture may prove to be true in the end, but we hardly imagine that the Viper that gets unveiled in New York will be badge-engineered from anything European. Although it will most certainly add a further layer of refinement to the car, would be crazy to dilute the Viper’s American muscle car spirit.
may be looking to take on the Hoveround in the competitive personal mobility segment. The company unveiled its E-Canopy three-wheeled scooter at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show. Honda envisions the all-electric trike primarily for personal use, though the large optional trunk may also make the vehicle ideal for small delivery businesses that may need to cover short distances. The large, plexiglass windscreen should help keep the driver fairly dry in light weather, though the lack of passenger seating may be a problem should the E-Canopy ever make it to production.
We can already see roving gangs of overweight Americans whirring their way to the local Golden Arches before prowling the aisles of their favorite box stores on their Honda Hoveround E-Canopy.
is out to prove that the fuel cell vehicle isn’t as dead as we thought. Despite the fact that a hydrogen infrastructure is no closer to reality now than it was five years ago, the company unveiled its FCV-R Concept at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show.
Engineers snugged the fuel cell unit beneath the passenger cell to preserve passenger and cargo capacity. The FCV-R Concept boasts space for four and their gear, and Toyota claims that the vehicle has a range of around 435 miles. That works for us. Currently, the FCV-R is only a concept, though it’s interesting to see Toyota playing with hydrogen fuel cell technology once again.
Will the tech eventually make its way to the road? Here’s hoping. Toyota has already made it clear the automaker wants to see the range become its best-selling nameplate in the near future, and a fuel-cell version could be part of those plans. for the full press release.
We often see Japanese domestic market introductions and get all hot and bothered because This is not one of those times.
The 2012 Mirage goes on sale in Thailand in March with three stated objectives: Compactness, affordability, and efficiency. At about the size of a hatchback (146 inches in length), the five-seater Mirage looks in every way like the transportation appliance it aims to be. Powered by a 1.0-liter, three-cylinder engine with stop/start technology and a continuously variable transmission, Mitsubishi says it should be good for about 30 kilometers per liter – that’s 70 miles per gallon. That’s impressive – its 14-inch wheels and disposable wheel covers, less so.
It’s been a decade since Mitsubishi sold a Mirage in the U.S., and over 20 years since anyone cared. We don’t expect this one to even make it here, let alone move that needle.
Tokyo Struggles To Remain Relevant On The World Stage
The 2009 Tokyo Motor Show was largely ignored by industry and media alike.
There is one model that looks more like a phone booth than a car, another that dispenses its driver like candy from a vending machine. There are party concepts, complete with disco lights, and otherconcept vehicles that could have been a case study for a film like Transformers. One thing you always know about the was that you will get to see some of the wildest, weirdest and wackiest concept cars ever created – and occasionally some, like the snail-shaped S-Cargo, might actually go into production.
There is a serious side, as well. And that is really what has made the biennial Tokyo Motor Show one of the automotive world’s most important events, journalists and industry executives jostling for space as each new car was unveiled. And there are plenty of unveilings, sometimes two, even three simultaneous news conferences stretching out over the two-days allotted for the gathered media.
But something went wrong two years ago, the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show was largely ignored by industry and media alike. Indeed, many suspected there wouldn’t even be a 2011 show. But in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami that struck the island nation last March, organizers redoubled their efforts to save the show. And how things turn out later this week could determine whether the Tokyo Motor Show thrives, survives in downsized form or simply vanishes, Japan ceding to the twin shows in and that are rapidly becoming the must-attend industry gatherings.
Paul A. Eisenstein is Publisher of and a 30-year veteran of the automotive beat. His editorials bring his unique perspective and deep understanding of the auto world to Autoblog readers on a regular basis.
There’s gilding the lily, and then there is this: An open-air version of Hennessey’s 1,200-horsepower Venom GT supercar.
The Venom GT Spyder turns up the wick on its hardtop sibling to the tune of an additional $150,000, with a base price starting at $1.1 million. That’s a pretty steep charge for a removable roof panel, although Hennessey Performance Engineering CEO Don Goldman says Venom GT Spyder buyers will also get “an even greater driving sensation.” While we have yet to see official specifications or an order sheet for the Spyder, we imagine seeing “Extra wind and sound from the twin-turbo V8″ listed under standard equipment. Regardless, we know which one we’d take the keys to if given the opportunity: This Vitamin D special.
Hennessey says it has already received orders for two of the five Venom GT’s it will build for the 2013 model year. So if you’re in the market for one of the remaining three cars, now you have a choice. Click for the press release.
Paul A. Eisenstein is Publisher of and a 30-year veteran of the automotive beat. His editorials bring his unique perspective and deep understanding of the auto world to Autoblog readers on a regular basis.
