Toyota FT-86 coupe to be named Scion FT-S?

We know the Toyota rear-wheel-drive coupe will wear a Scion badge, and now we might finally know what it’s going to be called. The just-make-it-already Toyota FT-86 concept has evolved into the Scion FT-86 and word on the web is that the production version will be known as the Scion FT-S.

Look for the Scion FT-S coupe to make its debut at the 2011 New York Auto Show. Rumor has it that a 2.5-liter engine, not a 2.0-liter, will power the rear wheels and that Toyota plans a heavy marketing push aimed at the drifting crowd.

The Subaru version is slated for a Geneva debut, and the rumormill now suggests that all-wheel drive is planned for the Subaru coupe, which should easily differentiate it from the Scion FT-S and help keep the two cars from cannibalizing each other’s sales. If anyone’s listening, we’ll take an AWD Subaru coupe in full STI trim, please.

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Could Suzuki Kizashi get VW power?

When Volkswagen announced it was teaming up with Suzuki for some joint projects, initial talk centered around small cars for emerging markets and possibly even a spate of two-wheeled ventures. Now, the rumormill is buzzing with speculation that the Japanese automaker might be interested in securing some of Volkswagen’s well-regarded powerplants for its midsize Kizashi sedan.

Prior to its tie-up with VW, Suzuki had enjoyed a partnership with General Motors that had the Japanese automaker using The General’s engines and transmissions. Those contracts died off after the VW deal, and, according to Ward’s, it now appears that any future engines for the Kizashi beyond the 2.4-liter DOHC four-cylinder (185 horsepower and 170 lb-feet of torque) will be sourced from Volkswagen.

Currently, there’s no indication what powertrains Suzuki is interested in procuring from Volkswagen, but we’d have to guess that a V6 or possibly even a hybrid would be on the menu, if possible.

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Porsche working on “Pajun” baby Panamera?

Remember taking your SATs? They were filled with reasoning questions like this one: Cajun is to Cayenneas ___ is to Panamera. Give up? The answer, according to the latest reports from Germany, is “Pajun.”

That’s the tentative name rounding the rumormill in connection to a potential baby brother to the PorschePanamera. Just as the automaker is developing a Cayenne Junior dubbed Cajun, so too could a Panamera Junior be in the cards.

There doesn’t appear to be much detail in the reports beyond speculation, but the reasoning strikes us as sound enough. If the Boxster and Cayman have proven successful underneath the 911, and the business model for the Cajun has been approved to slot in below the Cayenne, why not follow the same path with a smaller Panamera?

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BMW considering M3 Sportswagon

It’s no secret that we love ourselves some wagons, and it goes without saying that we like our wagons with more than a little dose of performance baked inside. And so it’s with bated breath that we tell you the latest tantalizing tidbit swirling aorund the internet rumormill: BMW may be considering an M3 Sportswagon.

If the BMW-obsessive folks from Bimmerfile are to be believed, such a machine was considered at the outset of the E9X car’s development, and at least one test machine was built. So why wasn’t it offered from the beginning? Naturally, an M3 wagon would be a small-volume proposition, which means it would likely carry a fairly large sticker price and would be tough for the automaker to justify. Bimmerfile estimates a base price of around $65,000.

Then again, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and, more recently, Cadillac have all put performance-minded wagons on the market, so who knows?

(Source: Autoblog)

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