While we are waiting for more powerful versions of the Toyota GT86 sports car to be released, it seems Toyota has other ideas for this amazing little car. They want to use the GT86’s reputation to sell more cars, which is why they are considering sedan and shooting brake versions of it.
So the GT86 can potentially become like the BMW 3 Series which includes everything from a sedan to an estate, coupe, convertible and even an SUV. The car is a success and Toyota wants to milk it for all it’s worth. That’s marketing 101.
Although this plan might dilute the GT86’s philosophy as a pure sports car, when you think about it, it is actually not a bad idea. What’s not to like about a practical sedan or an estate that is also fun to drive. That is of course if Toyota manages to engineer the same great handling into those versions.
In an interview Tetsuya Tada, the chief engineer for GT86, said:
“Mass producing a sports car for a company like Toyota carries a big business risk and we’ve tried to mitigate that risk with our collaboration with Subaru. We say, ‘mitigate’ in one [easy] word, but we had to make some really tough decisions for us to realise this. Also, along the way, we investigated the possibility of a sedan [saloon] and a shooting brake.
“Actually we tried to do this secretly but the executives found us out. They said: “what are you doing? Will you please focus on the coupé.” So that was our focal point and it was only with the success of the coupé that we were able to bring out the prototype of the convertible. It would never have existed without the support from you and the customers.
“It’s just my personal dream that the GT86 could become a family like what BMW has done with the Mini family. I hope that happens. I also have five dogs myself and I would like to have them in the car, so a sports shooting break would be just right.