Speaking with Australian website Motoring, Toyota chief engineer Tetsuya Tada revealed that the update will cover every single part of the car. For starters, the coupe will be given a minor facelift that will bring a new front bumper with a revised air dam as well as new-look lights on both ends. Certain markets — including Japan — will be able to order a carbon fiber roof panel at an extra cost, though whether the option will be offered in the United States isn’t known at this point.
The current FR-S’ 2.0-liter flat-four engine will benefit from a slight increase in power that will be complemented by brake and suspension modifications. However, Tada again downplayed the possibility of introducing a turbocharged FR-S.
“I think turbo is a really easy solution. I always say that we try to show something new, always something challenging,” explained the engineer. He pointed out that fitting the coupe with the Subaru WRX’s turbocharged flat-four wouldn’t be good for fuel economy and CO2 emissions.
There is a catch: While a conventional, exhaust-driven turbocharger has been ruled out for packaging reasons, Tada is open to the idea of fitting the FR-S with an electric turbocharger. Sister company Subaru has recently hinted it’s also looking at fitting its STI-tuned models with an electric turbo.
The updated Scion FR-S will land in showrooms in time for the 2017 model year, meaning it will likely be introduced at a major auto show either later this year or early next year. It will be slightly more expensive than the outgoing model, a move that will make room for the production version of the S-FR concept that was previewed at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show.
What’s next?
Tada explained that the development of the FR-S is an on-going process. The facelifted model detailed above is currently undergoing shakedown testing, and his team has already started working on a brand new version of the coupe that’s expected to hit the market in about three years.
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