Subaru/toyota coupe shelved....yes-no-yes-no !

[xsnapshot]

Sorry if this is a repost...

Toyota-Subaru joint RWD coupe delayed - MotorAuthority - Car news, reviews, spy shots

The Big 3 Detroit carmakers have been capturing the world's headlines with their economic and product woes for the past several weeks, but the truth of the situation is that the whole industry is struggling. On the heels of the forecast of its first operating loss in 71 years, Toyota has also decided to push back development on its RWD sports car joint project with Subaru.

Subaru's parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries, has been working with Toyota on the development of a new RWD sports car for about a year now, but the continuing soft market and poor 2009 outlook have led the companies to shelve work on the car. Saving production costs in a cash-strapped market is part of the reasoning, but also introducing a new car right now would almost certainly doom it to sales failure, according to Japan's Nikkei.

But the Toyota-Subaru joint project isn't alone. All new production projects are being reviewed in an effort to help realign investment and development budgets with newly reduced profit forecasts. Last month the Japanese carmaker cut its future profit figures by 56% thanks primarily to poor sales in Europe and the U.S.

The much-anticipated RWD sports car hasn't been canceled altogether, however - at least not yet. It is still scheduled to begin production, but not until 2012 of later. Plans had previously put the car's launch in late 2011, branded as a Scion in the U.S.

[cavallino333]

Too bad. It could be an interesting car. Hopefully they don't cancel it all together.

[Weasel 555]

no worries but was already posted in another thread
Post #91Subaru RWD coupe will be sold worldwide

Orig threadSubaru RWD coupe will be sold worldwide

[perfusionista]

The following was printed in the Detroit Free Press yesterday:

The sporty compact car Subaru and Toyota were developing together has been put on hold because of the worldwide economic slowdown, both companies confirm.

The program had been developing a pair of sporty small cars for sale by both automakers in 2011. The 2+2 compact sporty car had been slated to use a version of the Subaru Impreza's platform, horizontally opposed boxer engine and transmission. It reportedly modified Subaru's all-wheel drive drivetrain to a rear-drive setup and moved the engine slightly rearward in the chassis to improve weight distribution.

The car would have filled one of the few obvious gaps in Toyota's lineup, a small and affordable sporty car. It would also have given Subaru a performance model priced below the $24,995 all-wheel drive Impreza WRX. The Toyota and Subaru models reportedly had different exterior designs.

Wonder when (if ever) we will see these now. Just think: smaller than Impreza; boxer engine (hopefully turbo'd); RWD;*better weight distribution, could be a real flyer...

[Weasel 555]

this is 2nd time its been put on hold , so i dont think we'll be seeing it anytime soon

[snowcat]

Originally Posted by Weasel 555

this is 2nd time its been put on hold , so i dont think we'll be seeing it anytime soon

Yeah, the only thing they haven't put on hold is putting it on hold, so that is a bad sign.

[Weasel 555]

2009/03/03/call-us-when-its-at-the-dealer-on-again-off-again-toyota-suba/

Last April, Toyota and Subaru announced a joint rear-drive sports coupe for 2011, but recent economic struggles and a focus on more efficient vehicles led many to believe that the project could be delayed or even canceled. It now appears this isn't the case. Inside Line is quoting inside PR sources in Japan as saying that the project is still very much alive. The Toyobaru will utilize a new Subaru platform converted for RWD, with power coming from Subaru's 2.0L Boxer engine.

Japanese business paper Nikkei reported in December that the joint project would be delayed until 2012, but spokespeople from both companies say the project is very much on track. Plans for the new vehicle have gone through some changes, though. Under the original plan, Subaru was to build the vehicles at a new factory in Oizumi, Japan. Due to the current economic climate, the new plan is to built the Toyobaru in Subaru's existing Gunma facility.

[Weasel 555]

The last report about the on again/off again sports car being developed jointly by Toyota and Subaru was that it's on again. Today comes word from L'Automobile in France that not only is the rear-wheel-drive Toyubaru going to happen, but it will arrive bearing the Celica name sometime in 2010. If Wikipedia is to be believed, this would be the eighth generation of the Celica, which traces its roots all the way back to 1970 when it debuted in Japan as an inexpensive rear-wheel-drive sports car. Through the years it switched to front- and all-wheel drive, with the final seventh generation Celica sold from 2000 - 2005 being a strict cart puller. L'Automobile claims that Thierry Dombreval, Toyota's VP of sales and marketing in France, spilled the beans on reviving the Celica name, so we won't consider this news solid until a second source comes forward or Toyota officially confirms it, neither of which is likely to happen. So for now all you Celica fans should just sit tight and light a few candles for your cause.


Autoblog -Toybaru to be called celica ?

[snowcat]

Lol... the saga continues! Maybe Subaru is too busy delaying-not-delaying the Toybaru to release info about the 2010 Sti - maybe that is the root cause of that lack of info!

[Weasel 555]

The collaboration between Toyota and Subaru on a new coupe is also rumored to make an appearance in Tokyo, although it's unclear if the Toyobaru will debut as a concept or a production model. Based on the current Impreza platform, the rear-wheel drive will coupe will be powered by a Subaru-sourced flat-four with a new Toyota-developed head that will decrease emissions and increase fuel economy while returning an estimated 220 horsepower.

Autoblog 3-25-09

[jeremy96gase]

Subaru's announcement of the 2010 Legacy includes a information on a revised 6-speed that is 55lbs lighter than the standard STI unit.
I believe a rear wheel drive version of this transmission will be used in the Toybaru.

New York Preview: 2010 Subaru Legacy revealed ahead of Big Apple debut

The compact design of the modified 6-speed transmission for turbo engine models is made possible by optimizing the gear layout. This unit is also more than 25 kg lighter than the previous unit.