FT-Se: Toyota’s footprintless EV sportscar
Allow me to introduce to you the Toyota FT-Se. A 2-seater, next-generation battery-powered concept car that appears to be inspired by the silhouette of an LMP car. The innovative team of racing boffins at Gazoo Racing is on an ever-evolving mission to better their performance cars by implementing new designs and ideas that stem from their motorsports development. What they have managed to come up with, as far as the FT-Se is concerned, is nothing short of intriguing.
This new concept is named ‘Future Toyota Sports Electric’ and poses for the next generation of battery-powered sports cars. Toyota has expressed that there is a likelihood that this car will enter production around 2026, and there is a lot of speculation as to what this car will involve.
Toyota has mentioned that there will be two motors, one on each axle, and it will be able to do a 0-100km/h sprint in under three seconds. Driver comfort has also been an area of focus, with additions like knee pads that will protect the driver and passenger against G-forces in high-performance scenarios.
One of the more interesting speculations is the possibility of a manual transmission (yes, on an electric car), with some speculations going as far as saying there’s the possibility of a 14-speed manual transmission. Considering there’s no need for a traditional gearbox on an EV, it remains to be seen how much weight some of these speculations hold. Upon initial inspection of the images, it appears that the ratios on this gearbox will likely be simulated and possibly end up being a sequential action or paddle shifter, as the absence of a gear lever on the centre tunnel is apparent. This feature is far from being set in stone, though.
The FT-Se was first unveiled at the Japan Mobility Show in 2023, and it has brought with it a valuable look into the future of EV sports cars. Its styling is gorgeous and does resemble a similar shape to the Maserati MC20 meshed with a LMP endurance racing car.
It’s uncertain if we’ll ever see this beast, but since SA’s recently been on the receiving end of a lot of Toyota sportscars, there’s no reason why the FT-Se can’t make an appearance on our doorstep later in the decade.
