Photo: Toyota
The Toyota GT 86 affordable sportscar already got some minor changes for 2015, just 2 years after its launch in 2012. A midlife refresh will probably come soon but more important will be the fact that it has been confirmed to reach a second generation sometime in the near future.
With the Toyota Supra going extinct in 2002, the Celica being axed in 2006 and the small MR2 going down the drain a year later, the Japanese automaker was absent for about six years in the sportscar segment.
Quite a sad thing considering the glorious past of these three badges. But the carmaker is now back with the GT 86, a coupe that is said to bring customers exactly what they need to enjoy driving - affordability, reliability, simplicity and rear-wheel-fun. Recipe that worked for some but made the rest stay away.
With a fan base formed now, Toyota said it can’t lose ground in the segment, thus confirming its plans for a next generation hachi roku in an interview with Motoring Australia at the Paris Motor Show last week.
“[...] we are pretty serious about keeping the GT 86 pure and keeping a car like that in our line-up. Because in the past we dropped cars like the Celicas and fun cars, and we don’t want to lose that again," said Toyota of Europe executive vice president Karl Schlicht. "[the next generation model] It's down the road,” he said, adding that “the GT 86 has to go through normal lifecycle.”
Powertrain wise, the automaker might chose to stay with the flat-four unit if Subaru is not out of the game due to its low center of gravity that aids the handling part. Still, the unit should get updated to throw around 250-300 hp towards those rear wheels, either by drilling it to a more respectable 2.5-liters or sticking a supercharger in.
They should also work with the engine bits a little more. Design wise, the car looks awesome as it is, but it’s the lack of ponies that pulled it down. Some dyno runs showed only 140-150 hp reaching the rear wheels and that's just disappointing.
Quite a sad thing considering the glorious past of these three badges. But the carmaker is now back with the GT 86, a coupe that is said to bring customers exactly what they need to enjoy driving - affordability, reliability, simplicity and rear-wheel-fun. Recipe that worked for some but made the rest stay away.
The next 86 should ramp up sales
The GT 86 slowly formed a little cult among enthusiasts, registering relatively good sales in Japan, the US and Australia (100,000 units sold as of May this year). Europeans on the other hand thought the overall package is not that good, considering it’s a market where the model is sold at a considerably higher price.With a fan base formed now, Toyota said it can’t lose ground in the segment, thus confirming its plans for a next generation hachi roku in an interview with Motoring Australia at the Paris Motor Show last week.
“[...] we are pretty serious about keeping the GT 86 pure and keeping a car like that in our line-up. Because in the past we dropped cars like the Celicas and fun cars, and we don’t want to lose that again," said Toyota of Europe executive vice president Karl Schlicht. "[the next generation model] It's down the road,” he said, adding that “the GT 86 has to go through normal lifecycle.”
Expectations?
If you ask us, the next generation GT 86 will most probably inherit more styling cues from the FT-1 concept; both these cars are influenced by the sleek Toyota 2000GT and it would be a real shame to lose such heritage.Powertrain wise, the automaker might chose to stay with the flat-four unit if Subaru is not out of the game due to its low center of gravity that aids the handling part. Still, the unit should get updated to throw around 250-300 hp towards those rear wheels, either by drilling it to a more respectable 2.5-liters or sticking a supercharger in.
They should also work with the engine bits a little more. Design wise, the car looks awesome as it is, but it’s the lack of ponies that pulled it down. Some dyno runs showed only 140-150 hp reaching the rear wheels and that's just disappointing.
Google News