At the recent 2011 Geneva Motor Show Toyota rolled out an updated version of its FT-86 concept car, which previews a new rear-wheel drive sports coupe the Japanese auto giant is co-developing with Subaru and plans to launch next year.

Dubbed the FT-86 II, the latest concept is based on the original FT-86 from 2009 and is described by its creators as the strongest indication yet of how the production model will look. So what exactly was changed during the transition from FT-86 to FT-86 II?

According to Toyota’s design chief, Akihiro Nagaya, the car’s lines were refined in order to meet safety regulations as well as the criteria of its test drivers.

Nagaya explained during a recent interview with Autocar that the nose of the car had to be raised in order to meet pedestrian impact regulations. Additionally, the base of the A-pillars were pushed back 100 mm and were made more upright to improve visibility. The result of this is a more upright windscreen.

Other details include new LED detailing in the front bumper, a restyled rear end and reshaped headlights that appear more like the units on the Lexus LFA supercar.

Nagaya went on to reveal that the production version of the car would appear at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show this December and that the Subaru version of the car would look very similar to it, suggesting that only one version of each could be sold in certain markets.

For more details and spy shots of the Toyota and Subaru joint-sports car project, check out our previous post by clicking here.

[Autocar]