Toyota money threatens Subaru sports car

Toyota’s mass marketing dollars could mean a red light for the Subaru version of the ‘Toyobaru’ sportscar in Australia.
The FT-86 II concept is currently a star on Toyota’s Melbourne motor show stand, but across the hall at Subaru there is no sign of the its version.
Instead, the focus is on the fourth-generation Impreza small car and XV cross-over concept.

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The ‘Toyobaru’ is a light-weight two-door four-seater that uses a Subaru 2.0-litre boxer four-cylinder engine to drive its rear wheels. While the impetus for its creation came from Toyota boss Yukio Toyoda as part of his drive to bolster the company’s dowdy image, it is predominantly a Subaru project and will be built in one of its Japanese factories.
The Toyota version, which Drive has been assured will be dubbed simply ‘86’ in Australia, should be on-sale here around mid-2012. A cut-throat sub-$35,000 starting price is being targeted.
Subaru Australia managing director Nick Senior says a decision on the Subaru version will be made by the end of the third quarter of 2011. If it is green lighted it could be on-sale in Australia in 2012.
But Senior says Toyota’s muscle might just push Subaru out of the market.
“We have to be knowledgeable that there are two cars and two companies,” he said, “Is there enough volume to be able to justify launching it and to give it enough nourishment to keep it alive in the marketplace?
“We are up against a pretty big player in Toyota,” he added. “They are a big company, they throw lots of money at lots of things and I am sure they want (86) to be a success.”
Senior also acknowledged the car’s lack of all-wheel drive was an issue. Subaru Australia has built its sales to record levels based on a complete all-wheel drive range.
“We have had such success and Subaru is synonymous with all-wheel drive,” Senior said.
“This is a rear-wheel drive car and is different to our philosophy. Having said that, if it was a front wheel-drive car it would have been easier to say no. This being a performance car with rear-wheel drive it is very much a driver’s car, which is what Subaru is all about.”
So far no Subaru version of the sports car has been shown. However, the mechanical underpinnings overlaid by a clear acrylic body appeared at the Geneva show in March.

Source: The Age