Toyota plans to take on the Porsche Cayman/Boxster with the FT-Se concept, which could become a production vehicle after the Lexus LF-ZC lands in 2026
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While Toyota hasn’t officially committed to building the stunning FT-Se concept, their top brass is acting as if they’re already in the production line. A senior engineer casually mentioned that they’re taking a development prototype to the Nurburgring, while its the designer dropped hints that the production model will come after the Lexus LF-ZC.
Unveiled at the Japan Mobility Show earlier this month, the Toyota FT-Se concept car has the distinctive shape of a mid-engine sports car, despite its all-electric powertrain. Although the automaker scrupulously avoided confirming whether it is bound for production, it did care enough about the project to allow designers to fit it with a fully finished interior — an amount of effort not taken with a lot of concepts at the show.
It seems that the concept car will even get a full powertrain. Speaking to Top Gear, Fumihiko Hazama, the car’s chief engineer, said Toyota is planning on “taking a prototype to the Nurburgring in the near future,” although power figures have not been shared yet.
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More: The Toyota FT-Se Is The Electric MR2 Of Our Time
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Hazama refused to tell the outlet what kinds of lap times it was predicting, but he did say that the “next-generation Porsche Cayman will be an electric vehicle, so maybe that will be one of our targets.”
Keeping up with Porsche’s best efforts will be no mean feat, and Hazama said that keeping the batteries cool will be a major challenge, hence the big air intakes at the front of the car. The smoothness of the battery pack under the car will offer favorable aerodynamic qualities, which will help the car perform well on track.
Powering it will be the same battery pack that goes under the Lexus LF-ZC. The Toyota subsidiary has confirmed that the four-door sedan will go into production, and will feature “prismatic” cells that help reduce weight and will offer twice as much range as traditional batteries.
The Lexus LF-ZC will hit the market in 2026, and the FT-Se will follow shortly thereafter, according to Hideaki Iida, the designer behind the concept, who spoke to Inside EVs. He said he could not confirm when exactly the production version would hit the road, but promised that it was coming as soon as possible, and echoed Hazama’s prediction that the model would compete with Porsche’s electric sports cars.
