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Production Toyota C-HR to debut in Geneva, has hybrid engine

Toyota now officially confirms earlier reports that the C-HR crossover concept (above) will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March. The CUV will also be available a European-made hybrid powertrain, but the company won't yet say whether that will be the only engine option. "We are entering the C-segment crossover market with a fantastic product and with a hybrid powertrain from the start," Johan van Zyl, Toyota Motor Europe president and CEO, said. At least for Europe, the company will build the production C-HR at its factory in Turkey. The automaker originally planned the C-HR for the US as a Scion model and even displayed the concept that way at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show. However, the brand's demise means the crossover now gets to be a full Toyota product here. The five-door CUV rides on the Toyota New Global Architecture, but test vehicles keep the production version's styling hidden under heavy camouflage. The final vehicle reportedly looks like the concept, though. On this side of the pond, the C-HR will compete against compact crossovers like the Honda HR-V and Jeep Renegade. View 13 Photos Related Video: Toyota Motor Europe confirms European production for future crossover based on C-HR concept Future crossover to be built at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Turkey alongside Corolla, Verso New generation hybrid engine to be manufactured at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, UK in Deeside, Wales Brussels, Belgium - Ahead of the presentation of the highly anticipated production version of the C-HR concept at the Geneva Motor Show in early March, Toyota Motor Europe (TME) shared today its production plans for the model in Europe. The vehicle will be built at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Turkey (TMMT) in Sakarya, Turkey, in what marks the first time a hybrid-powered vehicle will be produced in the country. This will be TME's third plant to produce hybrid vehicles in the Europe region, after Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK in Burnaston, Derbyshire (Auris Hybrid and Auris Touring Sport Hybrid) and Toyota Motor Manufacturing France (Yaris Hybrid). TME also announced that the hybrid engine for the crossover is to be produced at Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK's engine plant in Deeside, Wales. The production destination for the vehicles will be greater Europe and regions outside Europe. Individual export countries are being considered at this time.

Scion FR-S Convertible (in Toyota GT86 form) spied in South Africa

Though the eventual existence of a convertible version of the Toyota GT86 (and its Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ versions for America) is a no-brainer, we've yet to get a glimpse of the real-deal car until now.
Spotted in Cape Town, South Africa, of all places, this completely undisguised GT86 convertible seems to be in a remarkably advanced state of development. The image seen here was obviously sniped from quite a distance and without the aid of a powerful lens, but we can still make out a production-ready looking piece of rear bodywork for the convertible top to hide away in, as well as a functioning trunk lid. It's hard to make out with any certainty, based on this evidence, but there does seem to be space retained behind the front seats for two, small rear chairs.
With the first car spotted, we'd expect to seem some more and better images of it flow through in the near future, and if not, Toyota has already confirmed a concept version for next month's Geneva Motor Show, dubbed FT-86 Open, so stay tuned. For now, click through to the FT86Club.com forum to have a slightly closer look at the images.

New drifting world record set in Toyota GT86

We have entered a drifting arms race. Last year, BMW smashed the Guinness World Record for the longest drift by hanging the tail out for 51.3 miles around a wet skid pad in an M5 at the BMW Performance Driving School in South Carolina. That beat the previous milestone of nearly seven miles. Now, Bimmer's record is up in smoke as well and is in the possession of a Toyota.
German driver Harald Müller pummeled the old record to drift for 89.55 miles around a 0.15-mile (235.5-meter) course in Samsun, Turkey, in a Toyota GT86 (or Scion FR-S as it's known in the US). According to the Guinness World Records website, it took him 612 laps and 2 hours, 25 minutes and 18 seconds to manage the achievement. Sit back to watch a few minutes of the German's two and a half hours behind the wheel with the tail out.