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Toyota updates Euro-market GT86 suspension, appearance

While we were busy ogling the Scion FR-S Release Series 1.0 with its Yuzu yellow paint and a workover by Toyota Racing Development, and the Japanese Toyota 86 buyers were trying out their Playstation-compatible Sports Drive Logger telemetry system, the European 2015 Toyota GT86 got fitted with some new parts of its own. New on next year's model are stiffer mounts for the front suspension and rear shock absorbers, and new shocks in the back for better damping and less friction. Toyota says the result is sharper steering and less body roll.
Inside, the instrument panel and center console get decorated with a "carbon-fiber motif." There are new shades of pearl white and silver to dress up the outside, and the roof gets a shark-fin antenna for sharper looks and aero. It goes on sale this summer, and you can read everything we just told you in the press release below. We've reached out to Scion to see if we'll get the same upgrades on the FR-S this summer, too, company PR rep Nancy Hubbell telling us, "The European changes are among those being considered for the US model FR-S and we'll have final confirmation soon."

Toyota C-HR stays sharp from prototype to production

Scion is dead. While the troubled brand was given 13 years to make a case for itself, it never quite succeeded. And that's a shame, because we're pretty confident that this, the production-spec Toyota C-HR would have been one of its biggest hits. Instead, when it arrives in the US, it will be as a Toyota... where it will still likely be a big hit. The new small CUV made its debut after literally years of teasing concepts, the most recent of which was shown late last year in Los Angeles, where it was badged as a Scion. After seeing that car, it's quite clear that Toyota has strained itself to translate its style to the real world. Up front, there's clear inspiration from the Toyota Auris/Scion iM. But aside from the front, the C-HR's biggest inspiration appears to be the Nissan Juke. View 14 Photos It's like Toyota has tried to go even further, though. Its wheel arches are flared even more aggressively and they feed into a strong character line on the lower portion of the doors. In back, Toyota's designers seem to have just rotated the Juke's taillights 180 degrees while they sit below an extremely fast rear window. Said window is integrated into today's latest design trend, a floating roof. Mechanically, the C-HR rides atop Toyota's New Global Architecture, which is Japan's answer to Volkswagen's MQB architecture. Power comes from a hybrid drivetrain, good for a relaxed 120 horsepower. If you don't want hybrid power, Toyota will sell the C-HR with the Euro-market Auris' turbo 1.2-liter engine, but we almost certainly won't see that here in the US. Instead, American drivers will probably be left with nothing but a 2.0-liter, naturally aspirated four-cylinder. That engine will be exclusively paired with a continuously variable transmission that sends power to either the front- or to all four wheels. So there's Juke inspiration, but not in the driving character. Toyota says it will build the C-HR Hybrid in Turkey. We don't know if that facility will handle US-market vehicles or just Europe, but we wouldn't be surprised to see additional facilities come online to produce this stylish little bugger. Related Video: TOYOTA C-HR Toyota's Fresh New Take on the Crossover 2016 Toyota Motorshow Geneva Making its world debut at the 2016 Geneva motor show, the C-HR gives Toyota a powerful new presence in the crossover market.

Hyundai Prius-fighting hybrid spied wearing new camo

Hyundai's engineers certainly don't want the public to see its upcoming dedicated hybrid model in several of these new spy shots, but the company can't deny that the machine is on the way. These test cars were first spotted last summer as Prius-like five-door hatchbacks. However in these photos and the second set, it would seem that the model has morphed into a more sedan-like shape similar to the Chevy Volt. Unlike the last time we saw this car during arctic testing, the vehicle no longer is covered in plastic concealment. That obfuscation has been replaced with a very effective camo pattern on everything but the roof, and in several photos, workers are actively standing in the way of the spy shooters' lenses. Beyond the whole model's general shape, there are a few details to pick out, though. You can easily spot the outline of the brand's hexagonal grille up front. There appears to be a rather complicated air dam design there, too. In profile, the shape of the rear hatch creates an integrated spoiler at the back. While the camouflage makes it very hard to tell, we don't see a plug-in port on this example. According to our spies, this test car was being driven with a slew of other electrified models, including a BMW i3, Nissan Leaf, Volkswagen e-Golf, and Kia Soul EV. Given that group, perhaps the engineers were specifically benchmarking the electric performance for this outing. Earlier reports suggest that Hyundai's latest hybrid could debut in the second half of 2016. Power reportedly comes from a 1.6-liter four-cylinder with hybrid assistance and a lithium-ion battery. Plug-in and five-door hatchback versions are also rumored.