Comments on: Toyota, Subaru to co-develop sports car

By: 1487_GM_SALES

1487_GM_SALES — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 17:26:20 +0000

The Honda engine in the Vue did nothing but bring down the reliability and durability ratings. Now that GM uses the 3.6, the Vue should be 100% reliable. Owners will never have to worry about their Vue breaking down in their whole ownership experience.

By: CTS DRIVER

CTS DRIVER — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 16:42:31 +0000

then keep them in the saturns and and make a decent performance car but at this point its too late they have the 3.6 which is great but 5 years ago they had nothing worthy of being called a performance engine (aside from the v-8`s).

By: jackjimturkey

jackjimturkey — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 16:15:58 +0000

No honda engines in Chevrolets!

By: CTS DRIVER

CTS DRIVER — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 14:00:21 +0000

Sharpie at the time GM was blind, they had an opportunity to license great technology but sadly didnt, they probably never realized the market potential for theese little hot tuner cars. a market you now see them aiming for but they are 5 years too late.
a lot of maunfacturers share technology it eliminates massive amounts of r&d money. how much is gm going to have to invest to make something similar……a hundred million? even if they just used the japaneese tech for a crutch to get a decent product ( saturn and vtec) to the masses it would have brought up some market share in the small car sector.

By: 1487_GM_SALES

1487_GM_SALES — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 12:34:08 +0000

They should call it “Nightmare” with Toyotas mechanical qualities and Subarus overall qualities. They should market “roadside assistance” if they’re going to bet any schmuck to buy it.

By: TOZO

TOZO — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 19:19:03 +0000

Very true, Commodore. Looking at it not from Toyota’s perspective, for Subaru, the life would be sucked out of its cars by Toyota with blandness & boringness. But Toyota will eventually get tired of bullying around just Daihatsu.

By: Blakkarr

Blakkarr — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 07:54:30 +0000

Sadly, GM has never had much of a mind for small and compact cars. The Cobalt/G5 is a step up from the old J-body cars, but is only just barely more than competent commuter cars in sporty skin.

So many hot tuners are quick to make a cobalt RWD, if only to fit a bigger engine. Gm themselves even strapped together a very competent and potentially competitive AWD Saturn ION Redline Rally. With GM in dire need to really make an impact in this arena, such golden opportunities are not to be passed by. FORD and Chrysler have much the same problem. FORD’s been sitting on the Cosworth Focus for years and only rumored to even be considering importing it. Chrysler has a rough but ready fit with the Caliber SRT-4 but is not pushing it.

For GM, their mindset might change with the Alpha platform, but as for FWD and AWD compact performance vehicles, keep looking to Europe and Japan for the foreseeable future.

Detroit is not going where the money is, just where the most money is. Money is money but reputation is more valuable.

By: Deanster

Deanster — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 01:19:35 +0000

^ What the ****? CTS is right on the money. Instead of producing a competetive AWD four-banger to take on the Si, GTi, and Mazda3 they produce the hideous Cobalt. The SS with 200 hp? Of COURSE I would rather have the V6 VTEC, are you ****ing kidding?

By: sharpie

sharpie — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 23:05:38 +0000

CTS, you have no faith in GM, or have you just given up entirely? You’d rather drive a psuedo American car with a Japanese heart and a Japanese drivetrain?

By: CTS DRIVER

CTS DRIVER — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 12:32:02 +0000

thats where gm ****ed up^ they had a stake in fuji and squandered the opportunity to get subies awd system, they got a vtec v6 from honda, imagine a cobalt with a honda vtec v6 mated to subies awd. IDIOTS they missed on a great vision, thats what happens when the blind are leading the deaf.

By: deutschetouring1337

deutschetouring1337 — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 10:01:06 +0000

Report the whole thing!!!

TOKYO, Aug 10 (Reuters) – Toyota Motor Corp. (7203.T: Quote, Profile, Research) and Subaru-maker Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (7270.T: Quote, Profile, Research) are finalisingplans to co-develop a sports car under the Toyota brand as part of their recently formed alliance, the Asahi newspaper reported on Friday.
The new car, to be priced under 2 million yen ($16,900) with an engine displacement of less than 2 litres, may use Subaru’s signature symmetrical all-wheel-drive powertrain, the paper said, without citing sources.
The partners aim to sell the car in 2010, and finalise details of the joint development by autumn.Both companies said they could not discuss future product plans.
Toyota, the world’s biggest automaker, took an 8.7 percent stake in Fuji Heavy in late 2005, aiming to tap the latter’s unused production capacity in the United States and find areas of joint development.

Industry watchers had been especially keen to see whether Toyota would make use of Fuji Heavy’s flat-four engine, a trademark technology found only in Subaru and Porsche (PSHG_p.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) cars.

Executives at both companies have been cagey about the possibility but have indicated that doing so made little sense since it could dilute Subaru’s niche brand.

Toyota ended production of its last sports car, the MR-S, last month due to weak sales.

The Asahi also said Toyota’s minivehicle unit, Daihatsu Motor Co. (7262.T: Quote, Profile, Research), would supply Fuji Heavy with its Coo compact car, sold as the bB under the Toyota badge, under an original equipment manufacturing (OEM) deal. Subaru would sell the car as early as next summer, aiming for sales of about 6,000 units a year in Japan.
A Daihatsu spokesman said no such decision had been made.

Fuji Heavy, the maker of the Legacy, Impreza and other all-wheel-drive cars, has seen its sales slide as demand shifts to smaller, fuel-efficient cars in many markets.

Daihatsu and Fuji Heavy already have an OEM deal in Europe, where Subaru will begin selling Daihatsu’s Boon model as its own under the name Justy this autumn, thereby saving money to fully develop its own compact car.

Toyota also has a capital tie-up with truck maker Isuzu Motors Ltd. (7202.T: Quote, Profile, Research) to cooperate in the development of low-emission diesel and other engines.

By: deutschetouring1337

deutschetouring1337 — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 09:46:21 +0000

Ok people what this means is Europe is aligning itself with its own companies/countries and the Japanese are doing the same pulling out of US investments. Since GM sold off shares it was only a matter of time till the Japanese did this, watch as Volvo possibly could be scooped up by a Swedish based firm. This doesnt mean it will ever hit US shores, much like the Toyota/VW/Nissan small cars.

By: okano

okano — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 02:32:18 +0000

it’s funny when people comment anything related to the big 3 in the states, this has nothing to do with GM or ford but they always pull them in, an ever increasing sales number in sky and solstice, don’t joking me please, they just makes it so hilarious

By: Blakkarr

Blakkarr — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 01:10:54 +0000

It’ll be a Scion if it ever comes over her.

By: Commodore

Commodore — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 01:10:39 +0000

TOZO – why? Toy will just ruin whatever excitement Suburu has with their WRX. Toyota sucks the life and styling out of any manufacturer they take over and replaces it with its own blandness and boringness

By: meekin111

meekin111 — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 00:45:07 +0000

Im not so sure that all wheel drive is the way to go, to heavy and expensive for a small cheap car.
I prefer the idea of a toyota MR2 successor.

By: 0GSharK6

0GSharK6 — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 23:48:08 +0000

All wheel drive.. 2.0 liters.. $17,000… that sounds like a pretty damn nifty tuner platform to me.. take that for $17k, build the motor and turbo/supercharge it, and you’ll have an Evo/STI competitor for far less money.

By: TOZO

TOZO — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 23:11:44 +0000

I was thinking like hostile takeover: buy up all the shares, kick out management with shareholder majority votes, and then TAKE POWER by replacing their management with Toyota management!

By: V-series

V-series — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 21:32:07 +0000

Maybe working together they can build a car with even lower quality than either of them could build on their own.

By: CTS DRIVER

CTS DRIVER — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 20:09:18 +0000

^^ hahaha good one amgoff.

By: AMGoff

AMGoff — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 19:35:57 +0000

Just what we need… a Toyubaru.

By: Rompn4x

Rompn4x — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 19:28:54 +0000

So were getting a boring looking AWD car yay.

By: Commodore

Commodore — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 19:06:15 +0000

This WOULD have been a good idea if the sports car was for the US market, not just the Japan market. Toy needs a car that isn’t dead boring here like a Suburu WRX style hatch or a SUPRA!

****, look at the exchange rates: 2,000,000yen=$17000

By: jamaicandude

jamaicandude — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 18:51:10 +0000

Even if Toyota wanted to acquire Subaru, Fuji Heavy Industries might not be inclined to let it go.

By: TOZO

TOZO — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 18:34:48 +0000

If Toyota want to be taken seriously, why doesn’t it merely just swallow (acquire) Subaru completely?

By: jamaicandude

jamaicandude — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 18:18:54 +0000

Well… now that you mention it Me, a turbo’d, AWD tC sounds interesting. Especially since I just noticed the headline said “sports car”. I doubt Toyota would use the Subie’s flat four though.

By: Me

Me — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 17:04:41 +0000

Only good can come from this. A tC with AWD and maybe a factory turbo? Are you kidding? You think that wouldn’t sell?

By: 1487_GM_SALES

1487_GM_SALES — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 16:56:01 +0000

Great. Subaru uglyness on a cheap, unreliable POS Toyota. Sounds like a winning, um losing proposition!

This wreck should bring ever increasing sales of the Sky and Solstice to a new level. Unless the chicks get tired of their Porsches and Miatas, then they may give this POS a chance.

THEN! once they see this one is a pile of crap as well, they’ll be over at the GM dealer buying a new Kappa.

By: Deanster

Deanster — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 16:44:44 +0000

2 liter? Buzzy 4-banger making 200 hp with Corolla or Subaru styling isn’t my idea of a winner. I’ll take the Mazda3 or Gti, xxxx you very much.

By: CTS DRIVER

CTS DRIVER — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 16:41:25 +0000

^^^^^ewwwww discusting a corolla with a subaru drivetrain wouldnt be on my list of cars i would want.

By: jamaicandude

jamaicandude — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 16:38:42 +0000

I doubt it’d be the new Supra. More like a hotted up Corolla or Caldina. Toyota already sells a turbocharged, AWD Caldina anyway, so it’s more likely a Corolla variant.

By: CTS DRIVER

CTS DRIVER — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 16:36:29 +0000

good toyota sure cant make on by themselves.

By: jackjimturkey

jackjimturkey — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 16:30:25 +0000

I hope it’s more subaru than toyota.
If it can be had for $17K, it ain’t a sports car

By: Fromes

Fromes — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 15:57:05 +0000

An All wheel drive sports car at that price seems like a can’t lose situation for toyota/subaru

By: Random Jerk

Random Jerk — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 15:44:11 +0000

What does Subaru get? Subaru gets to make lots of money selling their vehicles with a Toyota badge on them. Far, far more money they they ever got with the Sabbarus.