Assembled in Austria by contract manufacturer Magna Steyr, the Supra ended 2023 with 2,652 deliveries to its name in the United States market. In other words, more than 45 percent worse than the 4,952 units delivered by Toyota USA back in 2022.
It's even worse for its main rival, though. According to Nissan's sales report for 2023 in the US market, the Z clocked 1,771 deliveries. Although the GT-R plays in a completely different league, it's worth noting that Nissan moved a meager 390 cars in the US in 2023.
These numbers pale in comparison to the GR86, technically similar BRZ, and the MX-5 Miata. Assembled by Subaru, the GR86 is listed by Toyota with 11,078 deliveries compared to 4,188 for the BRZ. As for Mazda's lightweight roadster and retractable fastback, make that 8,973 units in total.
Turning our attention back to six-cylinder sports cars, you're surely aware that BMW was instrumental in the development of the Supra. That's why the Japanese coupe is joined at the hip to a canvas-top roadster, namely the G29-gen Z4, which also comes off the Magna Steyr assembly line in Graz, Austria.
BMW of North America reports 1,883 deliveries in 2023, an improvement of 20.2 percent over 2022. Chances are 2024 will be slightly better due to the M40i receiving a manual transmission, which – unfortunately – is priced at approximately $71,000.
Photo: Toyota
The Supra is also expected to improve in 2024. The Japanese automaker is currently putting the finishing touches on the first-ever GRMN Supra, a special edition with M power instead of the B58 engine. It's not known whether the GRMN uses the M2's version of the S58 or that of the M4 Competition. Be that as it may, look forward to a manual, at least 453 horsepower, and at least 406 pound-feet (550 Nm).
Over at Nissan, the most performance-oriented Z of the bunch is the Z NISMO. As opposed to 400 horsepower and 350 pound-feet (475 Nm), the NISMO levels up to 420 horsepower and 384 pound-feet (520 Nm). Under the hood, you'll find a 3.0-liter V6 that was introduced in 2016 by the Infiniti Q50.
The biggest problems of the Z NISMO are the price (starting at $64,990) and the transmission (JATCO nine-speed automatic). It's hard to understand why the NISMO cannot be had with the Z's manual, especially if you remember that the Mercedes-Benz 9G-Tronic-based JATCO automatic is pretty meh.
The Supra isn't exactly great value for money either. The 2024 model with the four-cylinder turbo is $46,440 at press time, and that kind of money would otherwise get you a manual-equipped Mustang GT. The Ford Motor Company's pony car moved 48,605 units in 2023 as opposed to 44,960 for the Dodge Challenger and 31,028 for the Chevrolet Camaro.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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