TOYOTA

Toyota FT-HS Concept: the sports car of the Japanese brand that never reached the market

In 2007, the Toyota Prius had been on the market for three years and the Japanese brand was starting to relate to hybrid technology. But the Prius was still a practical vehicle, especially for the city, but without any emotion. That year, Toyota presented a sporty and hybrid proposal, which combined emotion and ecology. This was the Toyota FT-HS Concept.

Back then, Kevin Hunter, vice president of Calty Design Research, said that drivers not only wanted fast cars, but were also concerned about safety, ecology and social responsibility. The Toyota FT-HS was a prototype that intended to bring these three factors together, while providing very sporty driving sensations.

Unveiled at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show, the Toyota FT-HS Concept was jointly developed by Calty, Toyota's research center, located in Newport Beach, California, and the brand's advanced product strategy group, also based in California.

The design team was given the task of creating a sports car, with an average price and that was able to combine ecology with emotion. The result was a fun-to-drive vehicle, with very low emissions by the standards of the time, with a really sporty design and built with lightweight and very aerodynamic materials.

It was powered by a hybrid system supported by a 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine, which produced 400 hp and allowed it to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 4 seconds.

Toyota's hybrid prototype followed a design strategy that combined two key factors: the J-Factor concept and Vibrant Clarity. The first referred to the local and global acceptance of Japanese-inspired design and cultural sensitivities. The second, in turn, designed the design language used to express the J-Factor.

Alex Shen, designer at Calty, was in charge of the exterior design, which was characterized by taut yet elegant surfaces, especially on the doors. The entire set looks like a single hand-carved piece. The front and rear are crafted to strip mass around key functional components.

An example of the designers' work was found in the double dome-shaped roof, creating a hollow section to reduce aerodynamic drag and provide headroom for passengers. It was made of Kevlar and could be retracted, being hidden along with the porthole glass in the space of the rear seats. In this way, it became almost a convertible.

One of the standout aspects of the FT-HS Concept's design was the aerospace-inspired lighting. At the rear, it featured LED optical groups joined at the center, a feature widely used today, and included an integrated retractable airfoil.

Interior design was handled by William Chergosky of Calty. From whichever angle you looked, the cabin exuded elegance and technology. The entire interior was driver-oriented, with an enveloping driver's seat in the shape of a delta wing.

Behind the telescopic steering wheel, with semi-automatic gearshift paddles, there was a vertical instrument panel, while on either side the driver could operate two other integrated touch panels with different vehicle functions.

The interior was made of high-quality materials such as titanium and carbon fiber. Thanks to its 2 2 configuration, it could accommodate up to four passengers, but when the roof was dispensed with, it converted into a two-seater model.

The Toyota FT-HS was redefining the sports car experience, not only in style, but also in more sustainable performance. It was, in Hunter's words, “Toyota's answer to the question: what is the right sports car for the 21st century?”.

Autonews