Toyota to reveal GRMN Hybrid concept at Nürburgring 24

TOYOTA TO UNVEIL NEW GRMN HYBRID CONCEPT AT NÜRBURGRING
Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) will show the "GRMN (GAZOO Racing1 tuned by MN2) SPORTS HYBRID Concept II", a convertible mid-engined petrol-electric hybrid concept, at the 39th Nürburgring 24-hour endurance race taking place this weekend.

The GRMN SPORTS HYBRID Concept II is an updated version of a petrol-electric sports concept shown at Tokyo Auto Salon in 2010. The vehicle features advanced styling and an improved sports-hybrid AWD system with the main power unit (petrol engine, rear-wheel drive motors and transmission) mid-mounted in conjunction with a front-wheel drive motor. Positioned this way it improves manoeuvrability, increases driving enjoyment and provides enhanced stability.Toyota launched the world's first mass-produced petrol-electric vehicle, the Prius, in 1997, and has long conducted active research on applying hybrid technologies to racing and sports cars. The GRMN SPORTS HYBRID Concept II is the next step in the evolution of these efforts.

GRMN SPORTS HYBRID Concept II
EngineType
Petrol
V6

Displacement (cc)
3,456

Maximum output (bhp)
245

System Maximum output
(bhp)295

Body Length (mm)4,350
Width (mm)1,890
Height (mm)1,200
Wheelbase (mm)2,575
Weight (kg)1,500 or less

Vehicle layout
Mid-engined with front electric motor

Tyres
Front225/40R19
Rear255/35R1924

Hours Nürburgring Race Outline
Name39th ADAC Zurich 24h-Race 2011

Dates
June 23-26, 2011 (main competition runs from June 25 and 26)VenueNürburgring (Nürburg, Ahrweiler, State of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany)

1 A vehicle-development and motor-sports support program created by GAZOO, which also operates the GAZOO.com customer-participation portal site launched in 1998, "GAZOO mura" driving events and the "Drive Kingdom" large-scale test-drive events for the general public.

2 Stands for "Meister of Nürburgring", referring to Hiromu Naruse (1944-2010), a TMC test driver and chief of the GAZOO Racing team.

Source;
http://www.autoblog.com/2011/06/22/toyota-to-reveal-grmn-hybrid-concept-at-nurburgring-24/#continued

Woody's Car Site: Toyota FT-86 Speculation

Not sure where he dug this up, but Woody's thinking that this could be the Hybrid version.... Interesting, good find!
Source;
http://www.woodyscarsite.com/2011/04/toyota-ft-86-hybrid-speculation.html

Toyota Thinking About Building a Honda CRZ Competitor?

Could this be part of the proposed Subaru-Toyota sports car venture? It could certainly make sense.
Rumors of a Prius coupe from Toyota have been floating around for at least a couple of years – to no avail. However, now that new Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda has decreed that Toyota needs some excitement in its lineup, and Honda has announced that the production CR-Z coupe will debut this fall, a real Prius coupe may finally gain some momentum. A new rendering that has popped in Japan shows a hybrid coupe with more resemblance to the new Hyundai Genesis coupe than any current Toyota.

If the Prius coupe does become reality, it could get a more powerful version of the powertrain from the current 5-door hatchback, possibly with as much as 134 hp from the 1.8-liter engine. It's also possible that Toyota could just drop in the powertrain from the Lexus HS250h, which uses a 2.4-liter engine based on the Camry. There's no word on whether the coupe will come stateside although if the CR-Z succeeds, it seems a good bet.

Source (original 7tune);
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/07/25/rendered-speculation-injecting-excitment-into-toyota-with-a-pri/