Okamoto made the comments after speaking last month about Toyota’s midterm business plan and said the company must launch more “appealing products” that are “fun to drive.” Okamoto added that the strategy will involve the “development of a new sports model.”

The presentation was accompanied by a slide show depicting a Lexus sports car along with two other sporty concept cars. One car bears the Toyota logo on the hood. After the presentation, Okamoto said there were no concrete plans.

Or maybe not.

(via)

More from Top Speed:

The Toyota FT-HS Hybrid concept car shown at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show will, in fact, be the next Supra – though the Supra name may not be the one ultimately selected for the car. It will, however, retain the hybrid power of the concept car, though precisely what type of hybrid is still to be finalized. There are several types of hybrids, differing in the extent to which they use electric power to actually turn the wheels at all times. The concept car put 400 hp to the ground through the rear wheels and used a hybrid set-up in conjunction with a V-6 engine.

Read the rest of Top Speed’s article here.

And here’s another one at the North American International Auto Show:

Toyota’s hybrid sports car that caused heads to rotate sharply at the January, 2007 Detroit auto show is apparently scheduled for production and then launch in 2009.

Brace yourselves: the Toyota FT-HS is the battery car that will blow off petrol sports cars – it’s been touted as the replacement for the Supra with power coming from the same 300kW, 3.5-litre V6 hybrid engine that powers the Lexus GS 450h.

Read the rest of the article here.

Would you buy the Toyota FT-HS if it meant you were going “green”? I dunno, for some reason “green” and “sport” just doesn’t seem to fit…

It’s being billed by Automobile as the spiritual successor to the late, lamented Supra — a position that’s hard to argue assuming you can look past the probable lack of an inline 6. Like the concept, the two-seat FT-HS will pair the company’s Hybrid Synergy Drive with an as-yet-undetermined gasoline engine (the concept utilized a 3.5-liter V6). Power and pricing aren’t discussed, but if the numbers thrown around when the concept was introduced — 400 horses and mid-level dollar amounts — are feasible, the thing should have plenty of takers.

If this ends up being the 2008 Toyota Supra that we’ve been waiting for, I can’t say as if I’m ecstatic about it. The body just doesn’t look…right for a Supra.

Anyways, some more images from the Toyota FT-HS Concept car (maybe it’ll grow on me…):

When Toyota, a company known for incredibly reliable if somewhat bland cars, comes out with a stylish new concept, it’s a big deal. It’s an even bigger one when company execs hint that the car, if built, would be the successor to the much-missed Supra.

But the FT-HS (Future Toyota Hybrid Sport) is more than just a Supra replacement; it’s Toyota’s view of “a suitable sports car for the 21st century.” Hence the Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain that includes a 3.5-liter front-mounted V-6 and mid-rear mounted battery pack for a grand total of 400 bhp, transferred to the road via a properly sporting rear-wheel-drive setup.

Prior to the world premiere of the FT-HS at the Detroit show, R&T was granted a behind-the-scenes look at the car at Toyota’s Calty Design Research Studio in Newport Beach, Calif.

Read the full article here.

Some pictures of the Toyota FT-HS Concept Car, including design specs of the interiors and whatnot: