MOTORING NEWS - The world premiere of the aggressive matte-black GR HV Sports Concept was a highlight of the Tokyo Motor Show at the end of October. 

Toyota unveiled a dramatic open-top sports-car concept inspired by the company's involvement in endurance racing and its legendary Supra and Toyota Sports 800.

This was one of Toyota's major concepts unveiled at Tokyo, designed to prove that a sports car can also be eco-friendly, though no performance figures have yet been revealed. 

The GR-HV boasts design cues and powertrain elements evolved from the TS050 hybrid car that Toyota races in the Le Mans 24 Hours. 

It is not sure if it will reach production, though Toyota is known to want a successor to sports models Supra.

The cabin comes with a conventional sports car-like layout with sporty seats for two, along with a well-laid-out dashboard that offers a selection of controls. 

While essentially an automatic car, it can be shifted to manual mode.

To make both the experiences as seamless as possible the automatic gear position is located in the centre cluster. 

This achieves a racing car-like ambience and a conventional gearbox, offering the driver complete control over the 6-speed gearbox with H-pattern shifting.

The car is powered by the company's THS-R (Toyota Hybrid System-Racing) that is infused with hybrid technology borrowed from the TS050 Hybrid.

The hybrid battery is mounted near the centre of the vehicle for better weight distribution and centre of gravity. 

The technical specifications haven't been released yet but it will come with a front engine, rear-wheel-drive setup.

The world premiere of the aggressive matte-black GR HV Sports Concept will be a highlight of the Tokyo Motor Show later this month. 

It will share the Tokyo stage with the breakthrough Toyota TJ Cruiser that showcases a new vehicle genre by combining the flexibility of an SUV with the storage capacity of a panel van.

'We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news'