The S-FR Concept

Today at the Tokyo Auto Show Toyota debuted a vehicle that could very well be an attempt to corner the niche market currently occupied by the Mazda MX-5 Miata.  The new concept, dubbed the S-FR for Small Front Engine Rear Wheel Drive.  The new vehicle is not to be confused with the Toyota 86, known here in the States as the Scion FR-S.

We couldn't be happier with the announcement and are hoping that the new S-FR is going to find it's way to American roads.  The 1.5L engine announced as being the beating heart of the new vehicle brings back memories of the very attractive Japanese sports cars of the 1960s and 1970s such as the Toyota 800, and Datsun Fairlady.

America has always had an attraction to the larger beefier American muscle cars and missed the boat with the nimble and reliable sports cars coming out of Japan during the time of the Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro.  But in an age where what were once very accessible sports cars are now costing as much as many luxury vehicles, the American consumer might want something that is going to be nimble, reliable and economic.

What makes this announcement more exciting is the apparent desire by Toyota to once again start making dedicated sports cars.  The Scion FR-S and now this new S-FR might be Toyota once again re-entering a section of the market that they have been absent from ever since the last MR-2 and Celica rolled off the lot in 2005.

But the main reason we are excited, is that this might finally mean we can expect the arrival of the much teased Supra successor, the production model of the FT-1 concept.

Toyota and Scion take the top two places in Reliability Study

Consumer Reports recently announced that Scion and Toyota took the top two spots in their annual reliability study. The study was based on consumer experiences with 1.2 million vehicles. Consumer Reports then uses the data to predict how well each new car model will hold up. Several brands that in the past few years have taken top spots found themselves on the bottom of the list now. We are so thrilled with the results. We have some fantastic new models and redesigns for the 2012 and 2013 year! We look forward to next year's study so we can show how we are able to stay on top!

Check out the Prius C which was found to be the MOST RELIABLE vehicle of ALL! Here at Hendrick Toyota Wilmington we have several Prius C's in stock as well as more than 50 of the Prius Liftbacks and Prius V (larger model Prius.) Right now our new Prius Liftbacks start at only $21,990. Check out our new vehicle specials including this one by clicking HERE.

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