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GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Toyota 86 goes convertible
Toyota teases 86 convertible and two-seater commuter concept ahead of their Geneva show debuts next monthAfter years of speculation, Toyota has finally come clean on its intention to produce a convertible version of its smash-hit 86 coupe.
Officially teased here for the first time in the form of a sketch, the so-called FT-86 Open concept will make its world debut at the Geneva motor show on March 5.
Toyota says the concept was created to gauge customer reaction to an open-top version of the 86.
“The FT-86 Open concept is a sneak preview of a possible future variant of the award-winning 86 that was launched in Australia last year,” said Toyota’s local arm in a press release today.
“The FT-86 Open concept, which will show how driving pleasure could be taken to another level, demonstrates Toyota's continued success with sports cars.”
However, Toyota has also revealed that prototype engineering assessment of the vehicle will take place as the concept makes its world premiere.
While there is no sign yet of a convertible version of the 86 coupe’s near-identical twin, the Subaru BRZ, that makes it more than likely that a production version of the 86 roadster will debut globally at the Tokyo motor show on November 20.
If it does, the first Toyota convertible since the 2002-2006 MR2 Spyder would be unveiled exactly four years after the original 86 concept was first shown at the 2009 Tokyo show.
The final production version of the first FT-86 (Future Toyota) concept arrived Down Under to critical acclaim in June 2012 and has been a sell-out success ever since.
Rumours of a topless version of the 86 have simmered for years, with 86 chief engineer Tetsuya Tada telling motoring at the 2011 Tokyo motor show that an 86 convertible was a feasible option for the compact, rear-wheel drive coupe provided the business case makes sense.
Expect the 86 convertible to go on sale in Australia next year, priced above the coupe’s $29,990 starting price but well below the $47,710 sticker price the MR2 was last sold at in March 2006.
Given the Mazda MX-5 and Volkswagen Eos both now start at just under $50,000, the 86 convertible will compete with MINI’s two-seat front-drive Roadster (priced from $37,500) as the only affordable convertibles available.
Meantime, Toyota has also announced it will unveil the production version of its new Corolla wagon, in the form of the Auris Touring Sports, which as we’ve reported will not be sold here.
Next month’s Swiss extravaganza will also host the world debut of a new zero-emissions two-seater commuter concept from Toyota, dubbed the i-Road, the European debut of the fourth-generation RAV4 that goes on sale here next month and, from the Japanese brand’s Lexus luxury brand, the IS300h hybrid.
Lexus’ redesigned mid-size sedan range – including the IS300h - will be launched globally in Texas in March, before hitting Australian showrooms around June.
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