Toyota plans to enter the 24-hour Le Mans in 2010 with a hybrid race car, company sources have reportedly said. The automaker has never won the annual race and has not competed since 1999. Since Toyota’s hybrid will be going up against Corvettes, Porsche 911s, and Aston Martin s, one big question remains — what car will Toyota use?
“ Audi demonstrated the excellence of new generation diesel-powered cars through the Le Mans race. We want to do the same with our hybrid model,” a Toyota official told Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun. Audi’s R10 TDI diesel race car remained undefeated in the American Le Mans Series from early 2006 to April 2007.
There are two possible hybrid sports cars in the works at Toyota. The safest bet is the Lexus LF-A, which Toyota executives publicly confirmed will be have hybrid variant.
Since the LF-A will be sold as a Lexus and not a Toyota, this might pose a problem. Which brings us to the second possibility — the FT-HS Hybrid, which is often viewed as a Supra successor. The latest rumors indicate this car will see production in 2009.
