Toyota FT-86 RWD Coupe, which is a joint project from the two companies, at the upcoming Geneva Salon in March. The somewhat blandly named “Subaru Rea

Subaru to Finally Present its RWD Coupe Concept at Geneva Motor Show

Friday, January 14, 2011 | Categories | Concepts, Geneva Motor Show, New Cars, Reports, Subaru, Subaru Concepts, Toyota, Toyota FT-86, Toyota Verso |

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It's been a long time in the making but we're finally going to get our first glimpse of Subaru's version of the Toyota FT-86 RWD Coupe, which is a joint project from the two companies, at the upcoming Geneva Salon in March. The somewhat blandly named “Subaru Rear Wheel Drive Sports Car Technology Concept” will share the spotlight with the Impreza Concept (pictured above) and the Trezio mini MPV, both of which will receive their European premiere at the Swiss motorshow.

Despite rumors suggesting that Subaru may present an all-wheel drive version of the coupe project, the Japanese carmaker is keeping the rear-wheel drive setup, at least for now.

Not surprisingly, the Subaru coupe will be powered by a boxer engine, possibly the same four-cylinder unit lent to Toyota for the FT-86. Subaru did not release any photos nor any additional information on the Coupe concept model.

As for the company's two European premieres, the Impreza Concept was first shown in LA last November and previews a new design direction for the production model, while the Trezio is a re-badged version of the Toyota Verso-S mini MPV, which will be offered in Europe with a 1.3-liter gasoline and 1.4-liter turbo diesel engines.

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Paris Show: Toyota Targets Honda Jazz / Fit with New Verso-S MPV

Toyota is re-entering the European small MPV segment with a new model called the Verso-S, which made its debut at the Paris Motor Show today. Set to go on sale across Europe from February 2011, the Verso-S is a spiritual successor to the Yaris Verso and targets cars like the Honda Jazz / Fit and Kia Venga.

The five-seater Verso-S is less than 4 meters long (3,990 mm). However, it compensates with a relatively long, 2,550 mm wheelbase. In addition, Toyota claims that careful attention to detail has maximized spaciousness and as a result, the Verso-S offers "front seat headroom, rear seat roominess and luggage capacity to rival that of C-segment cars."

In the practicality category, the Verso-S gets numerous cup holders and pockets as well as a three-level, dashboard storage compartment and 60:40 split rear seats featuring a center armrest and a one-touch, fold-flat mechanism.

The 760 mm long boot floor incorporates a lightweight, two-stage cargo deck board that can be positioned either at bumper level for a 336 liter cargo volume, or lowered to increase the loadspace depth by 95 mm and the cargo volume to 393 liters. With the rear seats folded flat, the total load-space volume increases to a maximum of 1,388 litres.

Another highlight of the interior is a new, 6.1 inch, full color, Touch Screen Multimedia system incorporating an AM/FM radio, a CD/MP3 player, Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity, a USB port for the connection of portable music players and the facility to display iPod album cover art, and a rear parking camera.

The Verso-S will be available with a choice of two engines, a 1.33-liter gasoline unit or a 1.4-liter D-4D turbo diesel, both mated, as standard, to 6-speed manual gearboxes. The 1. petrol engine may also be equipped with an optional, Multidrive S, continuously variable transmission which features a 7-speed, sequential paddle shift mode.

According to Toyota, the petrol model delivers a combined fuel economy of 5.5 lt/100 km [42.8 mpg US] and CO2 emissions of 127 g/km, and the diesel model, 4.3 lt/100 km [54.7 mpg US] and 113 g/km respectively.

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Toyota Yaris Verso

Toyota Japan revealed the Yaris Verso (called Ractis in Japan). Based on a slightly stretched platform of Toyota's new supermini, it will be available with two engines, 1,3 & 1,5 litres which produce 87 and 110 hp.