The J-Factor - Toyota Supra

Is this the next generation Toyota Supra - a radical sports car with a 300kW hybrid drive train?

Toyota's been tantalising us with the promise of a new generation Supra for about five years now. But each time they've shown us something that looks promising, it disappears again like a ghost into the ether.

But given Toyota's serious attitude towards hybrids, this could be the genuine article. The real McCoy.

It's the FT-HS Hybrid Sports Car Concept and while the looks are certainly futuristic enough, it's the drive train that will stand it apart - if it goes into production (and we think it will in some form).

The FT-HS (what an uninspiring set of letters) is a result of co-operation between Toyota's design studios in California and the similarly based advanced product strategy group.

The design team was given the job of creating a mid-priced sports car that integrated ecology with emotion. Building a fast car is not difficult with today's technology and Toyota thinks that sports car owners are looking for something a bit different - and this is their answer.

It's a 2+2 with a front engine, rear drive arrangement. The engine is a no-nonsense, highly developed 3.5 litre V6 combined with an advanced hybrid system that, combined, delivers 300kW (400bhp) to the rear wheels giving 0-100km/h times in the four second range.

The designers say the FT-HS uses J-Factor and Vibrant Clarity in the one design.

J-Factor is a term used to describe Japanese-inspired design while Vibrant Clarity is the language used to describe the J-Factor. Don't worry, we don't really understand it either, except that this car looks very much like an American take on an advanced Japanese sports car design and we think that's what they are getting at.

The world is ready for a high performance hybrid sports car, probably from Toyota. But we think the styling of this car is a bit too J-Factor to be globally accepted.

Delete the J-Factor, introduce some I-Factor (International Factor) and this would be a rip-snorter next generation Supra.

Published 13th Mar 2007

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