Yamaha SPORTS RIDE CONCEPT: After Flutes And Bikes, A Coupe
Yamaha is known for building a large array of products, from musical instruments to motorcycles to off-road vehicles and hi-fi equipment.
It now looks like the manufacturer is also looking at the automobile market, since it used the Tokyo Motor Show as an opportunity to unveil a four-wheeled concept, however it looks like said concept has taken a lot of cues from the bike world.
Weighing only 750 kg, the SPORTS RIDE CONCEPT (yeah, in all-caps) is made of carbon fibre woven using the iStream method (created by Gordon Murray, the father of the McLaren F1). With a length of 3.9 metres, a width of 1.7 metres and a height of 1.17 metres, the car obviously can’t seat more than 2 people.
There is no information about what will propel the vehicle, however since Yamaha has wide expertise in motorcycles, we suspect that a bike engine could find its way into the SPORTS RIDE CONCEPT. For example, if the R1’s four-cylinder were to be used into this vehicle, it would have around 200 horsepower on tap! More realistically though, an engine with more torque would make sense (why not the V-MAX’s V-twin?).
In any case, we will have to wait and see to find out if Yamaha will actually go ahead and built its sporty city car. If that were to happen, it will obviously never find its way to our side of the ocean.
- Check out our coverage of the Tokyo Auto Show
- Did you know Yamaha was recently involved in a copyright issue with Chevrolet?