Supra. Celica. MR2.
All names associated with performance, all names which no longer exist in today’s car world. A while back Toyota took a new direction with its product concentrating more on reliable and fuel efficient vehicles. While that may have worked (Toyota was the number one auto manufacturer in the world for while), it definitely alienated their loyal performance nuts who were forced to look elsewhere to brands like Honda, Nissan and Volkswagen for their performance pleasure.
With the introduction of the Toyota GT 86 (that’s Scion FR-S in Canadian-speak) it seems the company may be looking to real back some of those customers. CEO Akio Toyoda recently mentioned that they are implementing a new development and manufacturing framework to come up with more exciting cars which will allow them to design multiple vehicles at the same time, reducing costs and adding the ability to cut the amount of people involved in the approval process. This means less people to focus on the vehicle’s potential negative’s and focus more on the vehicle’s strengths.
So does this mean more cars like the GT 86? Or does it merely mean a more rigid structure with enhanced springs and stabilizers like on the redesigned Avalon? Tough to say, but at this point anything to help get the ball rolling on a next generation Supra (one of my fave cars as a kid) would be much appreciated.
[Automotive News]
