Toyota also seems to think hybridization is the right answer. When Autocar asked Toyota chief technology officer Hiroki Nakajima about the subject, he said, “Hybrid systems are always a good solution for environmental cars,” he said, “not just for passenger cars but for sporty cars as well. We can build them at a lower price than battery-electric models, and we know how to make them fun to drive.”
The next-generation GR86 could make use of Toyota’s much-hyped solid-state battery technology that will help to reduce costs and perhaps increase outputs. The main concern would be increasing weight in a vehicle that’s known for being light and nimble, but seeing how there are fully-electric sports cars like the Caterham Project V that weigh less than the current GR86 on the horizon, we think Toyota will be able to pull the whole thing off.
