Photo: Toyota
Toyota has confirmed that it's bringing more GR86s to the UK than originally planned. One would be tempted to believe that sports cars are popular again. But alas, Toyota didn't increase the production output for the GR86 at Subaru's plant to satisfy demand in the United Kingdom. The automaker simply reshuffled global allocations, which is another way of saying that the GR86 doesn't sell all that well.
Toyota published its European sales for 2022 in January 2023, and curiously enough, the boxer-engined sports car was intentionally left out of the sales release. On the other hand, the Japanese automaker did confirm 830 units of the Supra for the EU and UK markets, which is extremely disappointing in every respect. The Supra racked up 4,952 deliveries in the US last year, whereas the new GR86 totaled 11,996.
Even the MX-5 is a hard sell in the United States of America, where it sold 2,588 copies in 2022 as opposed to 4,115 in 2021. Given these numbers, are you even surprised that sports cars are slowly but steadily getting canned in favor of more profitable vehicles like crossover utility vehicles and pickups?
It's very unfortunate that it has come to this, and it's going to get even drearier once the Euro 7 standard replaces Euro 6 in 2025. Multiple automakers expressed concerns in regard to the upcoming regulations. The Volkswagen Group, for example, is likely to discontinue the Polo in favor of an electric hatchback previewed by the ID2.all concept. The same can be said about the Skoda Fabia if the costs incurred to meet the new standard are too high for comfort.
Even more unfortunate, the GR86 and its twin from Subaru are properly fun cars. The second generation is a big step forward from the original as well, partly thanks to improved structural rigidity and partly due to its larger engine. Still a naturally-aspirated boxer, the four-cylinder mill uses direct and port fuel injection.
Port injectors are especially useful in light- and medium-load scenarios, while direct injectors complement them with a cooling effect in the cylinders. The direct fuel injection system also enables a higher compression ratio, whereas port injectors prevent carbon from building up on the intake valves.
Previously available in the United Kingdom with either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic that defeats the purpose of a sports car, the GR86 used to retail at £29,995 or circa $37,720 in April 2022 in the United Kingdom. The order banks closed in less than 90 minutes. Although we don't know how many were spoken for back then, we do know that Toyota sold roughly 7,500 units of the original GT86 in the UK.
The only true rival of the GR86 in the segment and in terms of pricing is the MX-5, which is offered with either a soft top or a power retractable hard top. Mazda further offers a choice of two engines, namely a base 1.5-liter I4 and a 2.0-liter version of the Skyactiv-G.
Even the MX-5 is a hard sell in the United States of America, where it sold 2,588 copies in 2022 as opposed to 4,115 in 2021. Given these numbers, are you even surprised that sports cars are slowly but steadily getting canned in favor of more profitable vehicles like crossover utility vehicles and pickups?
It's very unfortunate that it has come to this, and it's going to get even drearier once the Euro 7 standard replaces Euro 6 in 2025. Multiple automakers expressed concerns in regard to the upcoming regulations. The Volkswagen Group, for example, is likely to discontinue the Polo in favor of an electric hatchback previewed by the ID2.all concept. The same can be said about the Skoda Fabia if the costs incurred to meet the new standard are too high for comfort.
Even more unfortunate, the GR86 and its twin from Subaru are properly fun cars. The second generation is a big step forward from the original as well, partly thanks to improved structural rigidity and partly due to its larger engine. Still a naturally-aspirated boxer, the four-cylinder mill uses direct and port fuel injection.
Port injectors are especially useful in light- and medium-load scenarios, while direct injectors complement them with a cooling effect in the cylinders. The direct fuel injection system also enables a higher compression ratio, whereas port injectors prevent carbon from building up on the intake valves.
Previously available in the United Kingdom with either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic that defeats the purpose of a sports car, the GR86 used to retail at £29,995 or circa $37,720 in April 2022 in the United Kingdom. The order banks closed in less than 90 minutes. Although we don't know how many were spoken for back then, we do know that Toyota sold roughly 7,500 units of the original GT86 in the UK.
The only true rival of the GR86 in the segment and in terms of pricing is the MX-5, which is offered with either a soft top or a power retractable hard top. Mazda further offers a choice of two engines, namely a base 1.5-liter I4 and a 2.0-liter version of the Skyactiv-G.
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