It’s been practically two years since Toyota gave us a style of an electrical sports activities automotive, however the FT-Se idea has but to evolve right into a manufacturing mannequin. That’s as a result of a road-going model isn’t coming anytime quickly. As a substitute, the corporate’s chairman would a lot fairly keep on with efficiency automobiles powered by combustion engines.

The previous president of the world’s largest automaker, for the fifth consecutive 12 months, made his preferences abundantly clear in an interview with Automotive Information: “For me because the grasp driver, my definition of a sports activities automotive is one thing with the scent of gasoline and a loud engine.” He admits there are folks inside Toyota pursuing a enjoyable EV, however he’d a lot fairly stick to the nice ol’ ICE.

It’s not that he’s fully towards the concept of an electrical sports activities automotive, however such as you and me, all of us have our priorities. Akio Toyoda isn’t the everyday high-ranking govt cooped up in an workplace all day. He’s Toyota’s “grasp driver” with an alter ego: Morizo. He took on this identify again in 2007 for the Nürburgring 24-hour endurance race and has been utilizing it ever since. Extra just lately, you would possibly keep in mind this identify from a special-edition GR Corolla and the lesser-known Lexus LBX Morizo RR crossover.

Toyoda admits it’s “not thrilling” to race EVs as a result of the battery doesn’t final on a circuit for greater than an hour. In different phrases, the corporate’s chairman argues that the present expertise isn’t as much as snuff, including it will be “a race of charging time or battery alternate.” He prefers to enter endurance races anyway, so EVs aren’t possible but.

Toyota’s chairman has already expressed his reluctance concerning EVs totally taking on. Just a little over a 12 months in the past, Toyoda mentioned electrical automobiles won’t ever symbolize greater than 30 % of world gross sales. Even so, we’ve seen how the Japanese automotive large has elevated its zero-emission efforts by increasing its EV lineup globally. Hopefully, there might be a sports activities automotive to face out from the present crop of SUVs and China’s bZ3 and bZ7 sedans.

Hideaki Iida, the challenge supervisor for the Gazoo Racing Design Group, informed our sister website InsideEVs {that a} manufacturing model of the FT-Se would come after 2026. The low-slung coupe is being engineered with all-wheel drive by putting in an electrical motor at every axle, in keeping with the automotive’s chief engineer Fumihiko Hazama. The e-motors will apparently work with a next-gen battery pack, enabling a 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) dash in three seconds and a prime pace of 155 mph (250 km/h).

However earlier than Toyota dips its toes into the electrical sports activities automotive section, it has alluded to an expansive enjoyable ICE lineup. It has already mentioned the Supra will dwell on past the present era and has dropped hints about bringing again the Celica and/or MR2. Moreover, the brand new GT3-spec race automotive is broadly believed to spawn a Lexus-badged street automotive. Rumors from Japan are already suggesting a next-gen 86 is in growth, so all appears to be properly within the sports activities automotive world.

A few months in the past, Toyota Australia’s Vice President for Gross sales and Advertising, Sean Hanley, assured lovers that “combustion engines and guide transmissions might be round for a protracted, very long time,” as a result of the corporate is aware of petrolheads crave the “snap, crackle, and pop” of an ICE.

Who knew Toyota can be the savior of enjoyable automobiles?