Toyota Hints At Cheaper, Lighter "Baby FT-86," Is A Mid-Engine Hybrid Roadster Next?

With rumors coming in that Toyota is repositioning its planned FT-86 “Toyobaru” sports coupe to reflect higher price and higher buyer age targets, word around the enthusiast fring of the autoblogosphere has been downright apocalyptic. After all, the promised combination of a $20k base price, manual transmission and rear-wheel-drive were what launched the FT-86 to internet notoriety. But development overruns are a fact of life, and Toyota says it has no choice but to bump the FT-86’s projected price point to $23k base, $26k loaded-level. So while the FT-86 faces the bloat that comes with a more upmarket target, another sports coupe aimed at undercutting the FT-86’s prices by about $5k is already under development according to Road & Track.

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  • Dr.Nick The cars seem really expensive with tight back seats and Cadillac was on the list of the highest price gouging dealers coming out of COVID. I don’t understand the combination, shouldn’t they be offering deals if they are not selling?
  • Dr.Nick Too bad the Turbo XT isn’t coming. The Outback Turbo is not bad at all, would be a lot of fun in the shorter Forester.
  • Dave M. Looking for a cheap commuter economy car, the base Corolla hybrid all the way. Willing to spend more for the toys I like (power seats, sunroof), I'd wait for the Civic hatchback hybrid. The Civic definitely has a nicer interior IMO.
  • 2ACL 2.slow + stick + major components serviced = many more miles of motoring if the next owner is even half as diligent. Not my cup of tea, but I could understand someone wanting to take this home.
  • AZFelix In related news, the California Department of Public Health in cooperation with CARB is proposing a complete ban on new car sales by 2039. The agency director was quoted as saying "If it prevents just one death..." and "Think of the [non-aborted] children..." at a press conference. The DEA immediately classified Ozium Air Sanitizer spray as a Schedule I chemical/drug and applied for a yearly budget increase of $690 billion dollars to help prosecute their 'war on car freshness'.