Conducted at Calty Design Research, a Toyota design center located in Newport Beach, California, this concept car is a design exercise with the aim of wrapping the extensive technological development with which Toyota is committed to the near future.
And to further highlight the development applied to the FT-HS Concept, designers at the Calty design center commented: “Once the future arrives, the hybrid car will be needed to achieve the ultra-tech feeling that people expect in a sports car. In a future thought in terms of low consumption, a jolt produced by the acceleration of an electric motor could become the equivalent of an injection of nitrous oxide into a current naphtha-driven engine.”
In my personal opinion as a designer, the concept expressed by those Toyota designers sounds really as interesting as coherent and viable.
Returning to the description of the Toyota FT-HS Concept, analyzing the information about its value and performance is positively shocking... a real sports car designed to be at an approximate value of $30,000, which has a lower impact on the environment and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4 seconds! Fabulous!
This type of data is what demonstrates the “why” Toyota is aiming to become the leading company in the market and automotive industry worldwide.
Under the hood is a 3,500 cm3 V6 DOHC engine currently used on the Lexus GS 450h. The difference is that this V6 offers 400 horsepower, while the one that equips the Lexus has 108 hp less. This very low fuel consumption V6 combined with an electric motor can make the FT-HS a high-performance sports car. Suffice it to note that it accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4 seconds.
With a wheelbase of approximately 2,600 mm and a length of more than 4,300 mm, the design of the Toyota FT-HS represents a great challenge. This is because apart from the V6 located in front, the electric motor must be accommodated plus its lithium-ion batteries.
And all of the above described should be well distributed to maintain a good balance in weight distribution. And as if all this were not enough, the car will not be two-seater but 2 + 2... sounds like a difficult mission that Toyota can successfully accomplish. For that, the ultimate car is likely to be somewhat longer and wider.
Outwardly, the FT-HS Concept stands out for its unusual appearance, with exaggerated irrational lines and immense 21-inch carbon fibre rims on 245/35ZR -21 tyres in the front and 285/30ZR -21 rear tyres.
Other striking details of the FT-HS concept include the retractable roof that makes it two-seater berlinetta and the symbolic bonnet design. Symbolic for the following reason: where cars from the 1960s were carrying air intakes for high consumption engines, Toyota placed a transparent cover to proudly display an extremely low consumption, high performance engine.
Finally, the use of white color alluding to a “clean” product, due to its lower consumption and hybrid energy is another of the messages transmitted by this vehicle.
Kevin Hunter, the vice president of Calty Design Research, states in his statements that Toyota has a niche in its range of products offered. That gap or missing product is clearly a sports car. Hunter stated: “Toyota has not had a sports car since the Supra was discontinued in 1997. We need a vehicle with emotional impact on our lineup.”
Previously, Toyota executives claimed that they felt the need to offer their users a sports car, which in turn competes with rival sports cars such as the Nissan 350Z or the upcoming Nissan Skyline GT-R.
© Adrián Blanco 2007 - No full or partial reproduction of text and/or images without explicit written consent of the author. —
Lotec Sirius Concept
Acura Advanced Coupe Concept 2007 Honda Small Hybrid Sports Concept Saab BioPower 100 Concept BMW Concept CS Audi Cross Coupe Quattro Concept Audi TT Club Sport Quattro Renault Altica Concept Peugeot 907 Coupe Citroën C-Cactus concept Ford Verve Concept Ford Mustang Giugiaro Concept