Industry news

New Toyota GT86 Launch Pushed Back To 2022 To Separate Itself From Subaru’s BRZ

A Japanese car news website Best Car Web has published an article stating that the upcoming Toyota GT86, expected to be named the GR86, has been pushed back to 2022 in order to differentiate itself from its Subaru BRZ twin that was revealed not long ago. CEO Akio Toyoda wants to separate its performance from the BRZ, not in regards to the power it produces, but the performance of the chassis.

This push-back of the reveal is yet to be officially confirmed, but it stems from the “difficulty” caused by Toyota CEO, meaning the development is taking longer. The new launch date is now reported to be happening in March 2022.

As Autoevolution states, while Toyota is trying to separate itself, and with this, trying to get the majority market share, with Subaru’s BRZ being released much earlier, Toyota is likely shooting itself in the foot. While Toyota gained the majority of the sales of the original GT86 because of the brand’s history, I can’t see how pushing back the car’s release will increase sales. Are they expecting customers to wait?

The upcoming GT86/BRZ model is achieving worldwide attention with the original car being such a popular choice for young drivers and those interested in the aftermarket support. Now, with the engine being swapped out for a larger 2.4-litre, its main complaint of low power has been fixed. This is going to be a very popular car, and Toyota may be making a huge mistake here.

But if Toyota really is changing it, what are they doing?

Apparently, the gearing will be changed for faster acceleration at the loss of top speed. The suspension setup will also be adjusted for, I expect, a more driver-orientated agile setup.

This is all whispers currently, but we’ll be very interested to see how this maps out in the future.

Related Articles

Back to top button