Back in 2012, after many concept cars, Toyota unveiled the 86. A tribute to the much sought after AE86. The 86 was a relatively good success, which marked Toyota’s return to fun-to-drive cars. Now, Toyota is reported to be looking at a new compact sports car that will be placed below the 86.
Codenamed 69DZ, this compact sports car will be inspired by BMW’s 1-series, and the primary market will be Europe. Even more interestingly enough, Toyota is said to be co-developing this model with BMW. If it is true, it is not the first time that Toyota is collaborating with BMW, as the rumoured Supra replacement will share the same platform as the next generation BMW Z4.
The interesting bits also include the engine, which is said to be a 1.5L inline-4 engine which produces 130 ponies and 150 NM of torque. Pretty standard stuff there, but this engine is reportedly based on the 2NF-FKE and will have Yamaha’s input.
To keep the car fun to drive, Toyota is planning to keep the kerb weight of the 69DZ below or just around the 1,000 kg mark, and will be offered with a 6 speed manual transmission. Interested? Well, sources has indicated that a concept version should debut during the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show.
Stay tuned as we will continue to update this space.
