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Many love the Toyota 86 (or Scion FR-S in some markets) sports coupe. While numerous reviews of it stated that it is a fun car to drive but many were disappointed with the performance. People have been hoping for a forced induced variant but Toyota has been very clear about one thing about the car from the very beginning and that is there will be no forced induced version of the car. Instead, they are considering a more unique way of increasing power for the car and that is to introduce a hybrid system. Tetsuya Tada, chief engineer of the Toyota 86, has said that the company is considering a hybrid system to boost power for the Toyota 86. Before anyone starts to ask whether the 86 is going to be a sporty looking Prius, the answer is no. It will not use the company's efficient Hybrid Synergy Drive system due to the 86's sporty image. Instead, the company is currently deciding on a new kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) for the car. The new system is heavily inspired by Toyota's TS030 Le Mans prototype. The TS030 (pictured below) is fitted with a KERS system that transfers captured braking energy to the rear wheels. Not much information was said but Tada did reveal that the system has been installed on a prototype 86 and will go through testing soon. He also mentioned that a hybrid system could set a high performance Toyota 86 as a sporty model and also as an environmentally responsible choice. Tada commented that 300bhp with a turbo and 200g/km of CO2 would be tasteless nowadays and if the company pursue such power without consideration to fuel consumption, then the market will not accept it. And also, a turbo will make the 86 lose its uniqueness.

[extract] Toyota's pair of TS030 hybrid racing cars has achieved another milestone by successfully participating in Le Mans test day in order to prepare for the Le Mans 24 Hours race on the 16

Toyota last raced in the Le Mans series in 1999 with their GT One (TS020) race car and ever since then, they have intensively involved in Formula One racing until 2010. Now, the Japanese automaker has revealed their hybrid-powered race car that will be used for the 2012 Le Mans series. Toyota TS020 GT One Back in 2008, Toyota did mention that they intend to debut a hybrid-powered racing car to be used for the Le Mans racing series. Not many details were given at that time until now, when about a week ago, Toyota showed photos of their TS030 hybrid racing car going through tests at a race track in France. Toyota Racing will build two cars for their participation in the upcoming FIA World Endurance Championship. A team of professional drivers has been confirmed and they will debut the car at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in May this year. The team will consist of Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre and Kazuki Nakajima. Another team for the second car is still under discussion and will finalise soon. On top of this, Toyota Racing has appointed Andrea Caldarelli as a junior driver. Once after the drivers for the second team has confirmed, Toyota Racing will enter the Le Mans 24 Hours in June 2012 with both cars. Toyota is the first manufacturer to enter the endurance series with a hybrid-powered car and it stresses Toyota