What started as the Toyota FT-86 concept and portended a joint-effort sports car between Toyota and Subaru is now the Scion FR-S concept that debuted at the 2011 New York Auto Show. It points the way toward a production car that will go on sale sometime in 2012. Scion cannot be more specific on timing due to the upheaval in the Japanese car industry from the earthquake and tsunami, which have wreaked havoc on all future-production planning and timelines.

What we do know for sure is that when it DOES go on sale here, the FR-S (Front-engine, Rear-wheel drive, Sport) will herald the return of affordable, rear-wheel-drive performance from Toyota, something we haven't seen since the RWD Corollas and the MR2. The FR-S is inspired in large part by the AE86 performance Corolla that was a legend in Japan back in the 1980s and is, of course, powered by a Subaru flat-four engine that will likely produce somewhere in the range of 200 hp. The production FR-S will be offered with both a six-speed, short-throw manual gearbox and a six-speed automatic with paddle shifters. A limited-slip rear diff will help distribute the power to the rear wheels. There are no production specifications available yet for the FR-S, but Scion VP Jack Hollis promises that it will, like the AE86, "rely on a remarkable combination of a lightweight design, manageable power, and great balance."

Read more about the Scion FR-S here!