At this year’s Nürburgring 24-Hour endurance race, Toyota plans to unveil a flashy convertible hybrid that’s nimble and – are you ready for this? – cranks out 295 horsepower Yep, that’s right, a sporty Toyota hybrid!
Co-developed by Gazoo Racing, the Toyota GRMN Hybrid Concept II is a revised version of the Toyota MR2 Sports Hybrid concept unveiled at the 2010 Tokyo Auto Salon. With its mid-mounted gasoline engine and all-wheel-drive system, the GRMN Hybrid should be exceptionally well balanced and more than capable of getting all of them 295 horses (245 hp from the V6 engine and 50 hp added by the electric motor) to the ground. The sub-3,300 pound GRMN Hybrid reportedly scoots from 0 to 60 miles per hour in the mid-four-second range.
Automotive News (sub. req.) says that “Toyota is coy about production plans – it will watch fan reaction before making any decisions.” We say, don’t bet on the GRMN Hybrid showing up on dealer lots in the
near
[Source: Automotive News – sub. req., Toyota]
Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) will show the “GRMN (GAZOO Racing1 tuned by MN2) SPORTS HYBRID Concept II”, a convertible mid-engined petrol-electric hybrid concept, at the 39th Nürburgring 24-hour endurance race taking place this weekend.
The GRMN SPORTS HYBRID Concept II is an updated version of a petrol-electric sports concept shown at Tokyo Auto Salon in 2010. The vehicle features advanced styling and an improved sports-hybrid AWD system with the main power unit (petrol engine, rear-wheel drive motors and transmission) mid-mounted in conjunction with a front-wheel drive motor. Positioned this way it improves manoeuvrability, increases driving enjoyment and provides enhanced stability.
Toyota launched the world’s first mass-produced petrol-electric vehicle, the Prius, in 1997, and has long conducted active research on applying hybrid technologies to racing and sports cars. The GRMN SPORTS HYBRID Concept II is the next step in the evolution of these efforts.
GRMN SPORTS HYBRID Concept II
Engine
Type
Petrol V6
Displacement (cc)
3,456
Maximum output (bhp)
245
System Maximum output (bhp)
295
Body Length (mm)
4,350
Width (mm)
1,890
Height (mm)
1,200
Wheelbase (mm)
2,575
Weight (kg)
1,500 or less
Vehicle layout
Mid-engined with front electric motor
Tyres
Front
225/40R19
Rear
255/35R19
24 Hours Nürburgring Race Outline
Name
39th ADAC Zurich 24h-Race 2011
Dates
June 23-26, 2011 (main competition runs from June 25 and 26)
Venue
Nürburgring (Nürburg, Ahrweiler, State of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany)
1 A vehicle-development and motor-sports support program created by GAZOO, which also operates the GAZOO.com customer-participation portal site launched in 1998, “GAZOO mura” driving events and the “Drive Kingdom” large-scale test-drive events for the general public.
2 Stands for “Meister of Nürburgring”, referring to Hiromu Naruse (1944-2010), a TMC test driver and chief of the GAZOO Racing team.
