[NEWS] Toyota: "new 86 sports car is 'too Subaru' - try again"

[Your Name]

It's more like the other way around since Subaru basically supplies
just the engine and Toyota supplies everything else from their standard
parts bin.


From Jalopnik.com ...


Toyota Reportedly Unhappy That Sports Car
It Developed With Subaru Feels Like A Subaru
--------------------------------------------
With the 2022 Subaru BRZ revealed all the way back in November,
it would be reasonable to expect that we'd have seen Toyota's
version by now. Toyota itself teased the new 86's arrival -
rumored to be called the GR86 - in February, while also
discontinuing the outgoing 86 in the United Kingdom. But plans
may have hit a snag.

A report from Japan's Next Car Web published last week
suggests that Toyota head honcho Akio Toyoda deemed the new 86
too similar to the new BRZ, and told engineers to go back to
the drawing board and differentiate the car from its
badge-swapped sibling as best they can.

It's theorized that Toyota could accomplish this by messing
with the car's gearing and engine tuning. However, given that
the car is essentially complete, the engineers are reportedly
struggling to pull off the feat in the 11th hour. It may also
push the car's release into next year.

The article - through the help of Google Translate, of course

<https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=https://bestcarweb.jp/news/260678?prd%3D2>

- calls this an "unexpected" setback, which seems appropriate
given that the similarities between the old BRZ and 86 never
seemed to be much of an issue for Toyota before. Nor did the
Supra and BMW Z4's shared development and production.

Toyota's been clear in the past that cars like the 86 and
Supra are only feasible for the company when it's able to
split costs with a partner like Subaru or BMW. Of course, the
negative side effect of that is that you end up with a car
that can only be so unique from its counterpart. Enthusiasts
often chide Toyota for this, and it seems like perhaps the
criticism is getting to them.

That's all well and good, but refocusing development like
this so late in the game seems like a tricky task if that
indeed is what's going on here. If Toyota truly wants its
other performance cars to be as unique as the GR Yaris, then
perhaps it should consider going it alone more often. Or,
I guess don't, and live with those consequences. Evidently,
the company will try to have its cake and eat it too here,
and we'll be curious to see the results.


<https://jalopnik.com/toyota-reportedly-unhappy-that-sports-car-it-developed-1846542445>