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Toyota has teased a new concept that is set to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. Dubbed the Hybrid-R, little is known about the car other than it promises to be 'an exciting new concept for road and track' and that it will wear a new version of Toyota's familiar blue and silver Hybrid Synergy Drive symbol.
However, reading between the lines of what has to be the shortest press release known to man throws up something exciting. The Hybrid-R will feature Toyota Hybrid System-Racing (THS-R) technology, as used in the TS0303 LMP1 car that pushed Audi so close at Le Mans this year.
Even the badge may provide a clue; instead of the stylised 'S' of the regular Toyota hybrids the Hybrid-R wears a prominent 'R' with a chequered flag ghosted into it. The letter R has always been synonymous with racing and a chequered flag just seals the deal surely. Or are we reading too much into this in a bid to get more words into our news article?
Mechanicals
The TS030 race car features a super capacitor-based energy storage system, a far cry from the batteries Toyota currently uses in its road cars, but Toyota has previously said that the Le Mans programme would help to hone its production models too.
Anything else?
Factor in the fact that Toyota recently signed a deal with BMW to co-develop a mid-sized sports car and things begin to look interesting. Could this be the 'son-of-Supra' we have waited over a decade for, or may the GT86 gain a hybrid system to answer the critics who said it needed more power? Only time will tell, but two more teasers are promised ahead of the Frankfurt reveal so stay tuned.
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