Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ replacement confirmed
Both affordable rear-drive coupes to live on for another generation, thanks to renewal of car-makers' partnershipFans of affordable rear-wheel drive coupes will rejoice with the news that the Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ will live on for another generation.
Addressing rumours the current Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ would be the last, Toyota's European marketing boss Matt Harrison confirmed a second-generation coupe is in the works and it will once again be developed in co-operation with Subaru.
Crucially, this arrangement helps both car-makers share the high cost of developing a relatively low-volume compact sports car for both Japanese brands.
Speaking to Brit mag
Harrison said the Toyota 86 had been a "successful 'halo' product for us" and that the new Toyota Supra was not a replacement for the relatively cheap small coupe.“[The] Supra is not to replace that car. They are for different audiences and are different products. We see a situation where they will sit alongside each other.”
The turbo inline six-cylinder Supra will be priced and positioned above the 86 as the flagship of Toyota's new GR sports sub-brand, despite being shorter in wheelbase (but longer overall) than the current 86.
But the new 86's gestation should benefit from plenty of input from the Japanese giant's Gazoo Racing division, which will also produce the first Toyota Corolla GR hot hatch.
The current Subaru and Toyota twins, launched back in 2011, were co-developed side-by-side using a Subaru platform and flat-four boxer engine and transmission.
According to Harrison it's a "safe assumption" that the second car will stick to this layout.
News that the 86's future is safe is consistent with Toyota boss Akio Toyoda's desire to build a full family of performance cars, harnessing the resources of the car-maker's GR brand.
Rather than selling in high volumes, Harrison said that within Toyota the aim of cars like the 86 was "adding excitement to the brand and emotional appeal".
“The GT86 has definitely been successful for us in achieving that, particularly in markets like the UK,” Harrison told the Brit mag.
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