For a brand that has churned out one successful vehicle after another worldwide, it seems impossible for Toyota to have one car with lagging sales (but then, perhaps “low” for them is some other brand’s “high”).
For all the good press that the Toyota GT 86 is getting, Toyota Europe Vice President of R&D Gerald Killmann claims that it is selling well below target in its major markets.
Since the 86 was introduced, every carshow was filled with them and we’re talking major shows here like Tokyo Auto Salon and SEMA. Even the after-market has taken notice of this model and started producing all sorts of items for the car like body kits, suspension and engine upgrades.
This puts Toyota in a tough spot because the lagging sales are clearly an indicator that European consumers simply are not satisfied with the GT 86 the way it is. Adding in more special editions or even bumping its performance would likely bring the sales numbers up. On the other hand, that would be a huge gamble, as the slow base-level sales makes it economically tough for Toyota to invest more money in building an open-top or turbocharged variant.
So what should Toyota do? Should it leave the GT 86 as is and allow it to fizzle away into nothingness a la the MR2 of the 2000s, or should it give enthusiasts what they want by chopping the top and dropping in some forced induction?
Maybe Toyota is just expecting too much from the 86. Since Subaru is already working on the STi version for their BRZ, Toyota should start considering a “high-performance variant” as well. Use their partnership with BMW and slap on an M3 engine on the 86! After all, the drifting world has gone crazy with the 86 and started using American V8’s.
What do you think, mga Kapuso?
