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Toyota Preparing Affordable Coupe

The performance vehicle sector is about to be shaken by Toyota, but we are not talking about the FT-86 project here.

The Japanese company wants to build an affordable rear-wheel-drive coupe, with the vehicle being based on a hot hatch concept, as autocar reports.

The will come to life as a tribute to the carmaker’s chief test driver, Hiromu Naruse, who lost his life in June due to an accident that took place in the proximity of the Nurburgring race track in Germany. The test driver, who has always had a special place in the company, was driving a Lexus LFA Nurburgring Edition.

It is a known fact that Naruse had the dream of offering young buyers an affordable, fun RWD vehicle.

Getting back to the new model, we must tell you that this will use the 2010 GRMN Hot Hatch Concept as a base. The concept was developed by Naruse and his Gazoo Racing staff and is related to the Toyota IQ. However, the production version of the vehicle is expected to offer a coupe silhouette.

The IQ components sharing pathway was chosen in order to reduce costs and allow the company to keep the final price of the car down. The power will be provided by a 1.5 liter Daihatsu engine. The displacement doesn’t seem impressive, but we have to keep in mind that the car will tip the scales at less than 1,000 kg.

The vehicle is expected to be offered for a price of 1.4 million yen ($16,000 or EUR12,300), with the release date expected for 2012.
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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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