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Toyota pondering high-performance GT86 hybrid?

From what Autocar has to say, Toyota has even more plans for the GT86 beyond the convertible concept we just saw at the Geneva Motor Show. Along with a planned midcycle facelift, Toyota is reportedly looking at how to pack some extra ponies under the coupe's hood, and while there has already been a lot of talk about superchargers and turbochargers, it sounds like a performance-boosting hybrid system could also be in the works.
Talking to Toyota chief engineer Tetsuya Tada, Autocar has learned that the automaker is considering an electrical motor assist for the sporty coupe to improve performance without harming fuel economy. In attempting to keep weight - and, presumably, costs - down, the article mentions the use of a system closer to what Honda uses for its Integrated Motor Assist rather than a full Hybrid Synergy Drive system used in current Toyota hybrids. Tada says the added weight of the system could be offset by weight reduction, while aerodynamic changes and a lower center of gravity could improve the car's handling.
No word yet on whether a mild hybrid system would find its way to North America's Scion FR-S - let alone its Subaru BRZ twin - but the thought is certainly an intriguing one.

Student driver backs over motorcycle at intersection

You always have to be vigilant on a motorcycle. Take this helmet cam video as an extremely unfortunate example of that. While waiting at an intersection, the rider has to watch while a Toyota RAV4 backs over his cycle. He was lucky not to suffer any injuries in the freak occurrence, but the bike sustained serious damage. The rider laid out the whole story on Reddit and explained that the person behind the wheel of the RAV4 was a student driver. The motorcyclist says that he was aware of the crossover, but never expected it to reverse at high speed through of the intersection. With no time to really think, he chose to bail off the bike, and the decision might have saved his life. "The video ends where it does because there is absolutely nothing exciting happening afterwards," the rider wrote on Reddit. There wasn't any yelling afterward; they just talked. Police gave the student driver a ticket when they arrived. The bike might be finished, though. In a separate post on Reddit, the rider says that the accident "pierced the engine and the gas tank," bent the radiator, and did a lot of other damage, too. Related Video: News Source: Reddit [1], [2], sebo666666 via YouTube, Jalopnik Toyota Crossover Motorcycle Bikes Videos viral video motorcycle accident helmet cam

Toyota reveals new TS040 Hybrid LMP1 [w/videos, poll]

There's a new season of motor racing upon us, and while that doesn't always mean a new crop of cars in every series, in the case of the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship, that's exactly what it means. Porsche recently revealed its new 919 Hybrid and Audi its revised R18 E-Tron Quattro. Now it's Toyota's turn.
Revealed today at the Paul Ricard test track in the South of France, the new TS040 Hybrid is based on the TS030 Hybrid it replaces, redesigned to meet the latest regulations established by the FIA and ACO for the World Endurance Championship and its flagship race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In accordance with said regulations, the TS040 is two inches narrower than the TS030 and also incorporates a new hybrid powertrain.
The previous 3.4-liter V8 has been replaced by a 3.7-liter V8 developing 513 horsepower, and the new engine is coupled to an Aisin AW electric motor at the front, a Denso electric motor at the rear and a Nisshinbo super-capacitor that combine to kick out an extra 473 hp, giving the system a combined output of nearly 1,000 horsepower while consuming 25 percent less fuel than last year's car. It also gives the TS040 all-wheel drive to help channel all that power to the road.