Back in the late 1930s, a young man named Kiichiro Toyoda founded an automotive brand as a spinoff from his father's brand, Toyota Industries. That new company started creating engines at first, and then it started producing surprisingly sorted passenger cars, before eventually becoming known as the Toyota Motor Corporation.
Today, Toyota is the biggest global automaker measured by product sales, even surpassing the Volkswagen Group. They're also responsible for some fantastic sports cars, as well as the best-selling car over a period of 50 years; the Corolla. Sensible though they may be, they have also built some pretty wild concept cars.
10 FT-4X
Introduced in 2017, the FT-4X was Toyota's idea of a compact, slightly utilitarian, boxy SUV with some serious off-roading ability. Rumors have been circulating everywhere that it's getting the green light for production, and we seriously hope it does, because it really is cool.
The powertrain in the concept car wasn't disclosed, but it was all about the interior. There were various color-designated areas in this car that represented some sort of storage compartment. There's also a removable Hi-Fi system that becomes a boom box after it's removed. Seriously. We sincerely hope that Toyota does push through with the production of the FT-4X and the production car retains at least some of the funky styling.
9 RSC
This rugged off-road concept would actually make some more sense today than it did 20 years ago when it was first revealed. The RSC, standing rather aptly for Rugged Sports Coupe, was designed by Toyota's CALTY Design Studio, and it was first shown in 2002.
Although it was purely a concept car, it was designed for the sports car buyer who wanted to break tradition and drive something just a little bit more... out there. Underneath the rugged, Paris Dakar-inspired body lay running gear from the RAV4, including the AWD system. Inside, the RSC was very minimalist, with a center console-mounted shift lever and three colorful buttons that looked as though they were pinched from an arcade machine.
8 Fine-Comfort Ride
This Toyota concept is a little bit different. It was Toyota's vision of the future of the luxury sedan, and to show off how their hydrogen fuel cell and alternative energy investment was coming along. In a lot of ways, hydrogen cars are better than pure EVs. The exterior of this car was quite swanky, especially in the wine red paint.
It had some strange dimensional permutations so as to make the interior as spacious and as well-packaged as possible. The Fine-Comfort Ride is electric, but it has a hydrogen fuel cell instead of a charge port, and provided that it was a functional car, Toyota claimed it could do 632 miles on a charge. There was also a luxurious interior with fully adjustable, posture-conforming seats and screens on the windows.
7 GR HV Sports
This one is just a little more up car enthusiasts' alley. The GR HV Sports concept was unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Show in 2017, and it was designed as a car that would combine the thrills of a sports car with the savings and environmental friendliness of an EV or a hybrid.
Although it's very obviously based on the GT86, the best first sports car, Toyota incorporated some new styling elements, directly inspired by items on the LeMans-winning TS050 racer. The GR HV also had a targa top, inspired by the Sports 800. Possibly the most interesting feature on it was the transmission; it was an automatic, but with the push of a button, it transformed into a makeshift 6-speed manual, though there was still no clutch pedal.
6 FT-1
Possibly the most beautiful concept car Toyota ever made, the FT-1 debuted in 2014 at the Detroit Auto Show. The acronym stood for "Future Toyota 1," and it brought along a promise that Toyota's future designs would be somewhat more exciting.
Shortly after the gorgeous FT-1 arrived, the world received confirmation that Toyota is working with BMW on a new sports car, and it was assumed that the FT-1 would inspire the new Supra's design, which it did. The FT-1 itself never made production, but it was made available to players of Gran Turismo 6.
5 FT-HS
Toyota seems to love a good sports car concept, and the FT-HS is one of many that they made over the years. Looks fantastic, doesn't it? The inspiration for the GT86 and BRZ that followed a few years later is also clear, but the FT-HS looks a bit more angular and slimmer.
The FT-HS acronym stood for Future Toyota Hybrid Sport, and it used a similar series hybrid drivetrain as the Lexus GS450h, combined with RWD. The 3.5 V6 and electric motor combo made 400 hp, allowing the FT-HS to theoretically accelerate to 60 in just 4.4 seconds. Amazing considering that Toyota was looking at the $30,000 range if the FT-HS went into production as is.
4 Tj Cruiser
Is this possibly the single coolest off-road SUV concept ever? Maybe. Except, this isn't really an SUV at all, it's more of a crossover between a full-size SUV and a van. No matter which way you look at it, it's simply awesome. The Tj Cruiser was all about the practicality and versatility, and also the durability.
There was a sliding rear passenger door on either side, that revealed a very flexible seating system that allowed the Tj to turn from a practical family SUV to a proper van in only minutes. The body panels also had a special coating to protect from scratches. Even though there were reports that a production version would arrive in 2020, obviously, no such thing has happened yet. We hope that it does soon, though.
3 GR Super Sport
Now onto something quite different. First shown to the public in 2018, the GR Super Sports Concept was Toyota Gazoo Racing's idea of a race car for the road. It was also a sign of things to come, as Toyota plans to return to the WEC by way of the new Hypercar class.
One of the rules of the Hypercar class is that the race car needs to be homologated and sold in limited numbers as a road car, and indeed, the GR Super Sports Concept previews that very road car. Powered by a 2.4 liter V6 with a hybrid component taken straight from the TS050, it develops 986 hp.
2 S-FR
As far as Toyota concept cars go, this one is a favorite among enthusiasts. The cutesy, rounded styling hides some serious sports car performance. Toyota didn't specify what engine powered the S-FR, but it was front-engined and rear-wheel-drive, with the engine placed behind the front axle for better weight distribution.
The 15" wheels also further added to the design charm, and with all the headlines, everyone was hoping that Toyota would put this car into production. Years have gone by, and we haven't heard anything suggesting that the adorable S-FR concept is going into production, which is a real shame.
1 FXS
Perhaps the only Toyota concept car ever to have a cutout for a badge at the front without actually having a Toyota badge. The FXS was shown off in 2001, and it was a beautiful, retro-influenced sports car concept.
The FXS acronym stood for Future eXperimental Sports, and it's easy to see why. Underneath the suave body, the FXS was based on the Soarer, or the SC430 to the rest of the world. It, too, used the SC430's 4.3-liter naturally aspirated V8, which sent its power to the rear wheels via a 6-speed sequential manual transmission. Just imagine what would happen if Toyota built this car today.