Saturday, December 1, 2012

GT-86 Convertible to Premiere at Geneva?

After years of dominating the small convertible segment, the Mazda MX-5 will soon face a formidable competitor.

Although nothing is 100 percent confirmed, inside sources at Toyota have been hinting that an open-top version of the GT-86 sports coupe will premiere at the Geneva Motor Show this March. In order to save weight, a GT-86 convertible will likely utilize an electronically operated folding fabric roof instead of the heavier retractable hard-top option. The biggest question left to be answered, however, is just where the roof will be stored when it's down.



Meaning, will Toyota forgo the tiny rear seats altogether or manage to find a way to keep them without sacrificing too much rear cargo space. Nothing is expected to change under the hood with the 2.0-liter boxer four remaining. A more powerful GT 86/Scion FR-S is due to arrive shortly after along with the Subaru BRZ STI. Speaking of which, it's still unknown whether a BRZ convertible will be made, but our guess is likely not. Autocar reports that weight gain for the convertible will be minimal and that the car's suspension could be adjusted due to lower stiffness. The US should see its version of the car, the Scion FR-S convertible, go on sale sometime in 2014.





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