Toyota says ‘no’ to a Scion FR-S hybrid

By Stephen Edelstein June 10, 2014

2013 Scion FR-S — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Car fans are an awfully greedy lot.

Few products cater to enthusiasts as deliberately as the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ twins. Yet almost as soon as they launched, people began clamoring for news of added variants.

One of those possible variants can be scratched off the list for good, according to Autocar. Toyota marketing director Fabio Capano told the magazine that the carmaker has no plans for a hybrid version of the Toyota GT86 (as the FR-S is known abroad).

The maker of the Prius could build such a car, but it reportedly wouldn’t make business sense. That’s true: Good fuel economy is always appreciated, but the GT86/FR-S was designed to emphasize simplicity, and a hybrid powertrain would muddy that a bit.

However, the story might not be over. Toyota is also rumored to be working on an FR-S sedan, and a hybrid powertrain could be offered in this model instead of the coupe.

The sedan isn’t the only FR-S variant churning through the rumor mill. There have been several reports of a convertible that could more directly compete with the similarly-priced Mazda MX-5 Miata, as well as turbocharged engines, all-wheel drive, and anything that could boost the car’s performance.

It’s unclear whether any of these new models will see the light of day, but at the very least, all of this speculation shows the enormous potential of the rear-wheel drive “Toyobaru” platform.

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Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

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