Toyota PH displays FT-1 concept supercar at PIMS

THE STAR of the show in the Toyota pavilion at the PIMS was the red FT-1 concept car. This gorgeous concept car had its debut in Detroit’s North American International Auto Show in 2014, and was penned by Alex Shen, chief designer based in Calty Design Research, Toyota’s North American design and research facility based in Newport Beach, California.

FT-1 or “Future Toyota One”, is a concept that will cascade design elements and emotions for Toyota’s future vehicle designs. With a long pedigree of great sports cars and sports coupes like the iconic 2000GT, Celica, Supra and the 86, the concept vehicle encapsulates what Toyota has in store of its future sports car designs that can truly excite the senses.

The FT-1 project started two years earlier and ago, and was a product of a dedicated and gifted design team led by Shen.

“The FT-1 is a dream-project for a designer and car enthusiast like myself,” said Alex Shen, Calty’s Studio chief designer. “Our team was heavily influenced by Toyota’s sports car past, especially Celica and Supra, and we sought to capture some of that history. It is an aggressive, track-focused sports car concept with a presence that has been amplified for shock and awe.”  

Judging from the FT-1’s audacious design, this concept car is a milestone and can be considered the pinnacle of Calty’s 40th year of operation.

It was created with Toyota’s design ethos of Vibrant Clarity, which Toyota considers to be a unique fusion of both emotional and rational factors that promises to deliver a more exciting and dramatic design expression with Toyota’s unique identity.

This is touted as the “spiritual pace car” for Toyota’s global design, with a goal to develop future generations of products that better connect emotionally with Toyota’s global consumer base.

Under Akio Toyoda’s directive to invigorate Toyota products with energy, passion and waku-doki (Toyota’s mantra, which means to generate a heart-pounding sense of excitement), visionary cars like the FT-1 will connect more deeply with customers, generating a more satisfying ownership experience that complements Toyota’s legendary reputation for quality, dependability and reliability.

“We have brought in a concept car that aims to truly excite. For the first time in the country, we will bring in the Toyota FT-1, a representation of where our brand is headed as we move forward. The FT-1 aims to show what can be achieved when the focus is creating a sports car design that will truly bring the fun in driving.

“This concept car that we will showcase for the next five days retraces our sports car heritage all the way back to the 2000GT coupe, released in 1967. As part of our global movement to invigorate our products with energy, passion and waku-doki, which by the way, directly translates to ’heart-pounding fun.’ All these descriptions are seen in the FT-1.

“This new approach shows our customers a vehicle that connects more deeply with drivers, creating a more satisfying ownership experience that complements Toyota’s reputation for quality, durability, and reliability,” said Satoru Suzuki, president of Toyota Motor Philippines in his welcome remarks at the unveiling of the Toyota pavilion last Wednesday.