MotorTrend: Toyota Prius Sports Coupe in Pipeline

June 02, 2011
By Peter Lyon

Toyota has been hinting for years that it would be expanding its Prius model lineup, and the new Prius v we just took for a test drive is likely just the start of a bigger Prius family. Over the past two years, rumors of a minivan, a convertible, and even an SUV variant have been tossed about.

But the one derivative of the bunch that has enthusiasts interested is the American-inspired Prius Sports Coupe project. Our source tells us that without the strong push for this car from Toyota's U.S. arm, this project wouldn't have made it past first base. What you see here is one artist's impression of how the Sports Coupe will look when it debuts in late 2014, the same year the next-generation Prius is expected to surface.

Our insider explains that with development of the Lexus LFA supercar scaling down, and R&D funds and personnel being re-routed, we can expect to see a proliferation of more fun-to-drive hybrid cars over the next three to five years. It seems part-time race car driver and full-time Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda is having some influence on the automaker's car development program.

One of the highlights of this coupe will be the option of a manual transmission that Toyota is developing for hybrids at the Higashi-Fuji proving ground near Mt. Fuji. That manual gearbox will be bolted to the company's next-generation hybrid system with plug-in capability, a system that will be completely new and not inherited from the Prius. Our spies tell us that the sports coupe will employ a rear-drive platform and will incorporate the plug-in hybrid unit with lightweight Li-ion batteries that generate significantly more power than the current Prius, but maintain class-leading mileage and CO2 emissions.

This is just the beginning. Come 2015, our source tells us the company will officially roll out its long-rumored "Prius brand," from which we can expect all future Toyota hybrid models, as well as a hydrogen-powered sedan that reportedly is in development. And the flagship for the new brand will be the Sports Coupe.

Source;
http://www.motortrend.com/future/future_vehicles/1105_toyota_prius_sports_coupe_in_pipeline/index.html

Toyota Thinking About Building a Honda CRZ Competitor?

Could this be part of the proposed Subaru-Toyota sports car venture? It could certainly make sense.
Rumors of a Prius coupe from Toyota have been floating around for at least a couple of years – to no avail. However, now that new Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda has decreed that Toyota needs some excitement in its lineup, and Honda has announced that the production CR-Z coupe will debut this fall, a real Prius coupe may finally gain some momentum. A new rendering that has popped in Japan shows a hybrid coupe with more resemblance to the new Hyundai Genesis coupe than any current Toyota.

If the Prius coupe does become reality, it could get a more powerful version of the powertrain from the current 5-door hatchback, possibly with as much as 134 hp from the 1.8-liter engine. It's also possible that Toyota could just drop in the powertrain from the Lexus HS250h, which uses a 2.4-liter engine based on the Camry. There's no word on whether the coupe will come stateside although if the CR-Z succeeds, it seems a good bet.

Source (original 7tune);
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/07/25/rendered-speculation-injecting-excitment-into-toyota-with-a-pri/