- Toyota is teasing two electric concept cars for the Tokyo auto show: the FT-Se sports car and the FT-3e SUV.
- The FT-Se has our attention thanks to its low-slung, wide shape and two-seat cockpit.
- Both will debut later this month, and we expect them to turn into production models eventually.
We’ve been talking about the idea of an electric Toyota sports car for years now, and it looks to be getting closer to reality. A new concept car called the FT-Se will debut at the Tokyo auto show later this month, and it looks to be exactly the kind of low-slung EV performance coupe we’ve been waiting for.
The two teaser images show that the FT-Se has an aggressive stance with wide front and rear tracks and interesting-looking taillights culminating in fins that may help with aerodynamics. The GR logo, for Gazoo Racing, is prominently displayed on the rear ducktail spoiler. Inside, we can see that the dashboard incorporates several different display screens, and the steering wheel looks to be a yoke-style controller similar to what’s available in the Lexus RZ.
We don’t know anything about what will underpin this new sports car, but Toyota suggests that it shares many components with the other concept car that will debut soon, a compact SUV called the FT-3e. This means that the company is likely to introduce a new EV platform that will serve several different future electric models.
The FT-3e, though less exciting than the sports car, is still relevant, as Toyota currently only offers one EV model in the U.S., the bZ4X. Based on what we can see in the images, we’d guess that the FT-3e is similarly sized, meaning it could serve as a replacement for the bZ4X. Toyota hasn’t divulged much information yet, other than the fact that it has digital displays on the exterior doors that show information including battery charge and onboard temperature as you approach the car.
We’ll find out a lot more about these two Toyota concept cars soon, as they’ll both debut at the Tokyo auto show later this month.
Senior Editor
Despite being raised on a steady diet of base-model Hondas and Toyotas—or perhaps because of it—Joey Capparella nonetheless cultivated an obsession for the automotive industry throughout his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He found a way to write about cars for the school newspaper during his college years at Rice University, which eventually led him to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first professional auto-writing gig at Automobile Magazine. He has been part of the Car and Driver team since 2016 and now lives in New York City.
Source: www.caranddriver.com