Who is making these decisions at Toyota?

[punjabiplaya]

http://jalopnik.com/5521080/toyotas-turning-the-ft+86-into-the-solara

A report from Autocar indicates the price of the FT-86 is going to rise in Japan from the intended $20,000 entry price to around $23,000 to a fully-loaded $26,000. Even worse, the team is focusing on reducing fuel consumption from the car's Subaru-sourced boxer powerplant instead of increasing power.

The head of Toyota's sports vehicle department also told Autocar they're increasing the target age from the 30s to the 40s after "after market research revealed that fewer younger buyers would opt for the sleek coupé than first thought."

sigh

 

[LTC8K6]

They have to reach new MPG targets in the US. I guess that is the reason for the decision to reduce consumption.

 

[PricklyPete]

This is a HUGE sigh. I was really hoping for great things with this car.

 

[jlee]

noooooo

 

[exar333]

The sign of the time, sadly.

 

[foghorn67]

Welcome to CAFE.

 

[PricklyPete]

Welcome to CAFE.

Maybe...but it was unlikely this car was going to be horrible on the gas mileage to begin with. Get rid of one of their shitty SUV's and give us a real sports car for christ's sake. Who is really going to miss the Sequoia?

 

[punjabiplaya]

Maybe...but it was unlikely this car was going to be horrible on the gas mileage to begin with. Get rid of one of their shitty SUV's and give us a real sports car for christ's sake. Who is really going to miss the Sequoia?

This. Don't blame CAFE.

 

[vshah]

i was reading autocar UK's review of the cr-z, and it started to make sense for similar reasons. fuel economy standards are approaching, and future sports cars will probably incorporate hybrid elements to meet them. the cr-z seems to me like a test in this direction, which honda will build upon in the future. the Ft-86 has been in development for a while so there's not many changes to be made, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a hybrid version in a few years...

 

[JulesMaximus]

I didn't know they were using a Subaru boxer engine in that car. Can I get one with the STI engine in it?

 

[jlee]

I didn't know they were using a Subaru boxer engine in that car. Can I get one with the STI engine in it?

It was actually sounding like it was going to be a fun car..

 

[LTC8K6]

But the R&D team is now more focused on minimising fuel consumption and producing the cleanest engine possible; the Subaru boxer engine planned for the car is not considered to be that clean or fuel-efficient. That could force the Japanese price up to around £15,000, with the range-topper costing £17,000.

http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/AllCars/248971/

 

[kornphlake]

But the R&D team is now more focused on minimising fuel consumption and producing the cleanest engine possible; the Subaru boxer engine planned for the car is not considered to be that clean or fuel-efficient. That could force the Japanese price up to around £15,000, with the range-topper costing £17,000.

Somebody please tell that to the high-brow eco-nuts who look at me with scorn for driving a 15 year old vehicle that gets over 30mpg while they destroy roads with their studded tires and AWD.

 

[Throckmorton]

The fuel efficiency thing is good. Horsepower wars are stupid.

 

[shiznit]

I can't believe I allowed myself a bit of faith in Toyota to make a real car and not an appliance. I was already saving money every paycheck so I could pay for most of this car in cash. Now I think that money will probably go to a used 135i.

 

[sjwaste]

I saw a Prius with the license plate LES GILT the other day. That right there made me decide to keep driving my Supra for another few years and also considering a used Explorer to add to the mix.

 

[shiznit]

I saw a Prius with the license plate LES GILT the other day. That right there made me decide to keep driving my Supra for another few years and also considering a used Explorer to add to the mix.

Sometimes I borrow my mom's 2000 Golf TDI when I have to drive far and I find it very amusing to floor it when a Prius is behind me and shoot a cloud of diesel smoke their way, while getting better mpg and power.

The fuel efficiency thing is good. Horsepower wars are stupid.

Horsepower wars combined with stricter consumption standards can only lead to greater fuel efficiency.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Subaru DOES need to improve the fuel efficiency of their motors. The new Legacy only hits 31 MPG on the highway, with the 2.5L NA motor and a fun-less CVT. It's surely a decent mileage, but when a 300+ HP V6 Mustang hits 30 MPG without a CVT, this is unimpressive.

That said, Toyota is retarded. I'm sure they have their reasons for doing this, but they are abandoning the young, sport market in doing so. I can't say I blame them with their recent nosedive. Consider the competition:

Subaru Impreza WRX (a bit pricey)
Mazdaspeed3
Hyundai Genesis coupe
Whatever VW has (I don't know VWs, sorry)
What else am I missing?

 

[Kadarin]

I saw a Prius with the license plate LES GILT the other day. That right there made me decide to keep driving my Supra for another few years and also considering a used Explorer to add to the mix.

Add a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 instead. 11mpg woohoo!

 

[senseamp]

Not really too upset with lower power for better economy tradeoff, my main worry is if they are targeting 40 year olds, are they going to make it softer handling? That would be a big turn off. I am willing to work the engine if handling allows me to keep speed into corners. I am actually more interested in the Subaru AWD version.

 

[PricklyPete]

I am actually more interested in the Subaru AWD version.

I've heard that there won't be an AWD version...just RWD (latest Car and Driver was where I read that). A possible turbo on the Subaru side would definitely interest me.

 

[shiznit]

Looks there won't be an AWD version, rumors say that rising development costs prevented that too.

The price hike doesn't really bother mean that much (I'm saving money now), but like you said, targeting 40 year olds is a problem. I'm afraid it will result in family car styling, soft handling, premium packages that force leather and sunroof and heated seats just to get HID lights, etc...

 

[PricklyPete]

I'm afraid it will result in family car styling, soft handling, premium packages that force leather and sunroof and heated seats just to get HID lights, etc...

I agree that is very irritating. I like the German model where nearly any option can be had. I can buy a base GTI and just pay for the HID lights. When we were looking at the Mazda 3 this past weekend, we had to go with the Grand Touring package just to get HID lights. I could have cared less about the other features...but I wanted the HID lights...but no luck.

 

[Stefan Payne]

As long as it's RWD, it's quite an interesting car.
Hopefully it's not a direct injection engine.

oh and by the way: 1 litre 'regular' (95 Octane, there is no 91 Octane in Germany anymore) gasoline was today about 1.459€ (1,955US$) or, if I'm not mistaken, it's about 6$ a gallon.

 

[punjabiplaya]

> $7/gal in britain, but then like 80c/gal in qatar