Hybrid coming for hot Toyota coupé

It’s a welcome return to sporting Toyotas of the past – but the new FT-86 is likely to spawn a hybrid version, the firm has revealed.

The rear-wheel-drive coupé was unveiled at the Geneva show in near-production form, and will be built alongside a sister car from Subaru, which also supplies the 2.0-litre flat-four boxer petrol engine.

We asked a Toyota spokesman whether a hybrid could be built, and he told us: “Why not? It’s no secret we’ve been considering a hybrid sports car for a while.”

The maker claims the scoop-like grille and sweeping profile have been “generated purely according to the constraints of function and aerodynamics”. Subaru decided at the last minute not to display its version of the car, but instead showed a ‘wire-frame’ teaser model focusing on the engine, suspension and Lineartronic CVT gearbox that will be used.

Company insiders told Auto Express that we should expect more aggressive styling touches on the production version of the as-yet-unnamed Subaru. It’s likely that both manufacturers will unveil their production-ready designs at the Tokyo Motor Show later this year, with sales expected to start some time in 2012.

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