TOYOTA has issued a brief press launch to substantiate that it’ll shortly provide its GR Supra sports activities automotive with three pedals and a six-speed handbook gearbox.
The lone picture connected to the doc exhibits BMW-esque pedals and a floor-hinged throttle pedal, though Toyota says the stick-shift transmission is “tailored” for the automotive, which suggests the gearbox is just not the identical unit as present in six-pot variations of the spinoff G29-series Z4. That scenario appears unlikely, nonetheless, given each the BMW Z4 and Toyota Supra are produced on the identical manufacturing unit in Graz, Austria.
Additional, Toyota says manual-equipped fashions will characteristic a red-coloured “Supra” badge on the rear-end to distinguish the mannequin over its self-shifting siblings. It’s understood handbook Supra variants will enter manufacturing in July with trim grades predicted to stay unchanged from the present line-up.
“The GR Supra sports activities automotive will quickly be supplied in Australia with a newly developed handbook transmission, designed to supply a novel dynamic expertise whereas assembly the demand of driving purists,” stated Toyota Australia in a press release.
“The handbook transmission will improve the (GR) Supra’s signature racing DNA with a pure and distinctive driving expertise. Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) took on suggestions from clients and followers alike in growing the handbook transmission.”
The fifth-generation A90-series Supra is presently supplied in GT and GTS trim grades priced from $87,303 and $97,303 respectively (plus on-road prices). With energy sourced from BMW’s B58B-series 3.0-litre turbo-petrol in-line six, the Supra develops 285kW at 6500rpm and 500Nm between 1800-5000rpm. Toyota quotes a 0-100km/h time of 4.1 seconds for its high-performance coupe.
Gross sales of the GR Supra are up 13.9 per cent on the identical time final yr with year-to-date gross sales (as of the tip of March) at 41 items. The mannequin enjoys a 5.4 per cent share of the Sports activities over $80k section, up 1.6 per cent on this time final yr. The Toyota GR Supra has offered two items greater than its BMW cousin – the Z4 roadster – which has notched up YTD gross sales of 39 (95 per cent on this time in 2021) for a 5.2 per cent market share.
The wide-reaching Sports activities over $80k section is presently dominated by the BMW 4 Collection Coupe and Convertible (207), Mercedes-Benz C-Class (175) and E-Class (51) variants, Corvette Stingray (58) and Audi A5 (48). Porsche Cayman and Boxster variants offered a mixed 52 examples.
Toyota Australia stated it will present extra info on the discharge of its manual-equipped GR Supra, together with specification and pricing, over the approaching weeks. The information can be joined – and maybe outshone by – that regarding Toyota’s all-new GR Corolla, which is ready to debut from the center of this yr.
The GR Corolla is the third Gazoo Racing variant in Toyota’s line-up behind the GR Supra and GR Yaris, and can characteristic all-wheel drive, a 224kW three-pot turbo-petrol engine, and a conventional handbook transmission. The mannequin has but to be priced regionally, however will doubtless command the same premium to the GR Yaris in contrast with its bread-and-butter brethren. The GR Yaris is presently priced from $49,500 (plus on-road prices).
