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2023 Toyota Supra Might Get Manual Transmission Option in the U.S., Rumors Claim

Toyota has yet to offer the fifth-generation Supra, referred to as the GR Supra, with a manual transmission. While the BMW-sourced engines under its hood can be had with manual transmissions in the German marque's range, the Japanese manufacturer does not offer such things.
2022 Toyota GR Supra 21 photos
Photo: Toyota
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Last summer, BMW canceled the Z4 in Australia after selling just two units in two years, which is a clear indication of true demand regardless of what people say on the internet. Rumors regarding a manual version of the Toyota Supra have reappeared, and this time they claim that Toyota has greenlit a manual option.

Previous rumors on the matter claimed that only the four-cylinder version of the Supra, released later than its six-cylinder brother, would get the manual transmission as an option. That made sense, as BMW only offered the manual in the Z4 range, which is the GR Supra's platform sibling, with the sDrive20i variant.

The 194-horsepower four-cylinder motor provided 320 Nm of torque and a 0-62 mph (0-100 kph) time of 6.8 seconds, which was two-tenths slower than the automatic version. The latter was also better in fuel economy, but nobody buys that model with that in mind. It is easy to understand why it did not catch on.

This time, sources within Toyota's U.S. dealer network claim that the manual version of the GR Supra is "confirmed," and it "could debut this year." These sources have reached out to The Drive to deliver this information, along with the fact that higher-ups in the Toyota company have allegedly decided to offer the manual on the six-cylinder Supra.

That version might come with a different engine, but that is yet to be confirmed. Other sources have claimed that chief engineer Tetsuya Tada had insisted on the manual for the Supra, but that is also unconfirmed at this point.

Toyota representatives have not commented on the rumors regarding the manual transmission Supra A90, which is what many companies would have done in this situation. Rumors are often left without comment, so that should not be a surprise.

The same company insider also claimed that selected Toyota dealers had a meeting in Las Vegas in late 2021 that included the display of a prototype Supra with a manual transmission. That is also unconfirmed, but companies build prototypes all the time, even though not all end up being made.

Our take on the rumor? Do not hold your breath. If it happens, it happens. If not, nothing has changed.
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Editor's note: Photo gallery shows 2022 Toyota GR Supra for illustration purposes.

About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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