2012 Toyota hybrid LMP1

24 January 2012 update:
Toyota TS030 Hybrid

The day after Peugeot announced its withdrawal from the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship, the first (grainy) images of Toyota’s hybrid LMP1 racer have emerged.

A timing coincidence maybe, or did the Japanese manufacturer sense a good PR opportunity to remind us that it’ll soon be returning to top-flight sportscar competition?

As revealed last October, the Cologne-based Toyota Motorsport team will be contesting selected rounds of the inaugural World Endurance Championship this season, including an entry to the Le Mans 24 Hours race for the first time since 1999.

Virtually nothing is known about the car - it doesn’t even have an official name yet - except that a petrol-hybrid powertrain will feature.

With Peugeot out of the way, Toyota’s task might have been made a little easier. However, it’ll still have to beat Audi, which has dominated Le Mans with ten wins over the past twelve years.

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