Toyota to unveil new GRMN Hybrid concept at Nurburgring

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) will showcase the GRMN Sports Hybrid Concept II, a convertible mid-engined petrol-electric hybrid concept, at the 39th Nürburgring 24-hour endurance race.

The car is an updated version of a petrol-electric sports concept shown at Tokyo Auto Salon in 2010. The vehicle features advanced styling and an improved sports-hybrid AWD system with the main power unit (petrol engine, rear wheel drive motors and transmission) mid-mounted in conjunction with a front-wheel drive motor.

Positioned this way it improves manoeuvrability, increases driving enjoyment and provides enhanced stability.

Toyota launched the world’s first mass-produced petrol-electric vehicle, the Prius, in 1997, and has long conducted active research on applying hybrid technologies to racing and sports cars.

The hybrid is the next step in the evolution of these efforts.

A recent study found Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) spends more than €18.3 million a day on research and development.

The figures show that Toyota has been the world’s top research and development spen-der in the past three years among publicly traded corporations.

Toyota’s research and development spending of almost €6.3billion last year is the equivalent of €9 million per day - or a little over €700,000 million every hour.