motor

5vz-fe · 04-25-2008, 04:57 PM

The GT-R was a big development, but I can see Toyota probably putting as much (if not more) effort on thelir LF-A. It's just that the Nissan's marketing team constantly putting the GT-R development under the spot light to make you think it will be a bigger revolution than any other car that's all.

04RCSTI · 04-25-2008, 05:04 PM

I think the new Toyobaru thats coming out is going to add to the list of good cars that are coming out of Japan... I really hope for that RWD STI engined Coupe. Fingers crossed that it doesnt look like crap..

HeilSvenska · 04-25-2008, 05:11 PM

Originally Posted by 04RCSTI

I think the new Toyobaru thats coming out is going to add to the list of good cars that are coming out of Japan... I really hope for that RWD STI engined Coupe. Fingers crossed that it doesnt look like crap..

Hopefully, it doesn't look like that. And STI engined? Maybe not. It seems like they want something pretty small.

One topic of debate that began raging after Toyota and Subaru officially announced their collaboration on a lightweight, rear-wheel-drive coupe was how the Toyobaru would be marketed, particularly with both brands getting their own models. Apparently, Subaru execs share our concerns.

Subaru has branded itself as the purveyor of competent, multi-purpose vehicles that begin and end with one distinct feature: all-wheel-drive. By adding another vehicle into its lineup lacking that core trait, Subaru risks diluting its hard-earned image, not to mention going toe-to-toe with the Toyota monolith by selling a badge-engineered variant.

Automotive News spoke with Fuji Heavy Industries overseas sales chief, Mat Nagato, who said, "We may lose our longstanding territory, or we may lose the great niche brand image. The potential risk is there. We have to be very smart on marketing strategy." This issue has to be weighed against the short-term gain of a new, inexpensive model for enthusiasts and Subaru's continued growth, but the simple solution would be to nix the Subaru version altogether, allow Toyota to brand the new coupe as its own and rake in the cash provided by the partnership. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen, so the only thing Subaru can do now is make an attempt to differentiate its own version from Toyota's, while praying that consumers won't forget what "Makes a Subaru a Subaru."

Anyways, I shouldn't hijack my own thread.

One question I have for Toyota is how the LF-A's going to look. They already had 2 different versions, but all the mules, including the race version, look like they were based on the first design. Does that mean that the second one (which had the melted look) is moot?

HeilSvenska · 05-13-2008, 08:24 PM

Lexus LF-A first Race 2008 !! Track NÃ¼rburgring-Nordschleife - YouTube

The race-prepared Lexus LF-A--first spotted during manufacturer testing at the 'Ring on April 17th--made its official competition debut on Saturday in the ADAC Rundstrecken Trophy Endurance series in Germany. The race was run on a combination of the Nürburgring Nordschleife, along with a sprint portion of the famous Grand Prix circuit, with each lap covering 15.18 miles (24.433 km). Saturday's race was one of seven four-hour races this year, with a six-hour race and a 24-hour race rounding out the series. In its inaugural four-hour race, the LFA covered 23 laps, grabbing 77th place and a fastest lap of 9:06. While that lap may sound slow compared to the Nissan GT-R's best 'Ring time of 7:29, one must take into account the longer laps with the addition of the Grand Prix sprint, and fighting race traffic (which consisted of several racing classes similar to an ALMS series). The LF-A drove in group SP8. The drivers that piloted the LF-A are listed as Nakaya, Akihiko, llda, Akira, Kinoshita, and Takauki. The LF-A is expected to continue competitive runs in this series, including the 24-hour race at the end of this month--as part of the LF-A's development process.

http://www.autoblog.com/photos/lexus...e-nurburgring/