2008 Scion Xb on 2040-cars

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Toyota GT86 engineers explored shooting brake and sedan variants, are they still in the cards?

According to the Toyota UK blog, engineers for the automaker were so excited developing the GT86 coupe that they investigated producing a whole family of models based on the rear-wheel drive sports car. And at least one engineer - product chief Tetsuya Tada - still hopes it can happen, even if not everyone at Toyota is onboard. Tada: "Actually we tried to do this secretly but the executives found us out. They said: 'What are you doing? Will you please focus on the coupe.'"
Those mooted variants included both a four-door sedan and a shooting brake. Why? Aside from the pure excellence of a lightweight, brilliantly handling hatchback, Toyota was keenly aware of the fact that it may need to spread the cost of development out across several models. Tada says that's part of the reason why it was so easy to create the convertible. The company knew from the outset that a softtop version was in the cards, and built the machine's structure to accommodate having the roof sliced off.
Tada also made mention of the already-announced collaboration between Toyota and BMW. The engineer said that the GT86 was particularly helpful because it demonstrated just how successful a product conceived and designed by two different companies can be. While he didn't say exactly what Toyota and BMW are up to, it's clear the two are looking into a number of possibilities. It's an interesting read with a lot of

Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race Scion FR-S [w/video]

Toyota has been hosting its Pro/Celebrity race at the Toyota Grand Prix on Long Beach since 1977. The charity event, which has raised millions of dollars over the years, traditionally pits Hollywood celebrities against professional athletes (including race car drivers) on the full Grand Prix course in modified street vehicles. The short, sprint-style race is popular with the crowds as the amateur drivers race uninhibited - the result is an action-packed race with plenty of excitement and automotive... er... carnage.
Over the decades, the drivers have raced a variety of Toyota products including last year's front-wheel-drive Scion tC. But this year, Toyota announced at the Chicago Auto Show that the new rear-wheel-drive Scion FR-S would be stepping up to the plate. The good news only became better when Toyota Motorsports invited us out to Southern California's Willow Springs Raceway (the same circuit where the drivers train and practice) to be one of the first behind the wheel.
Driving Notes:

Scion reveals SEMA concepts, Tuner Challenge finalists

Scion has become something of a tuner favorite, so it's only fitting that Toyota's youth-oriented brand have an array of show cars ready for SEMA each year. And this year will be no exception.
Scion itself is bringing five cars to SEMA this year, and as you might expect, they're mostly based on the FR-S. There's a black one done in partnership with DJ Steve Aoki with an onboard mixing station, another (in white and black) done with Bulletproof Automotive with a 500-horsepower engine and fresh bodywork, a grey one done up with GReddy with a 750-horsepower turbocharged engine and, the slickest of the group, the Style J concept (pictured above) with matte grey bodywork, a Scirocco-style nose and a full leather interior. There's also a stretched xB done up by Cartel Customs and laden with tech.
Aside from Scion's own show cars, the automaker has also released the details on three entries for its Tuner Challenge: one each from the East Coast, Pacific Northwest and Southern California. Scion gave each builder a stock tC, 90 days and $15,000 to build their concepts that will be judged by an expert panel at the SEMA show, with the winner taking home a $10,000 prize.