Nearly Half Of 2023 Toyota GR Supra Buyers Opted For Manual Transmission

[alan7467]

Same thought, I'm curious how they defined "opted" when buyers don't have any option to choose, and every car produced already had a waitlist of multiple buyers.

I think even if they understood how the allocation process worked they still would have written the article the same. Sounds more interesting to say that customers demanded so many manual cars. This is why I don't trust most publications these days. Write what fills a given narrative, and go for those clicks.

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[Dannyvandelft]

I'd still pick the "auto" over the manual. Shifting the ZF in manual mode is the best of both worlds.

 

[kappa_md]

“Announced last spring, the transmission in question is a six-speed unit provided by BMW”
https://www.carscoops.com/2023/08/n...r-supra-buyers-opted-for-manual-transmission/

For the RECORD, the manual transmission is provided by ZF, not BMW. The Supra is made by Magna Steyr, not BMW.

Car is from BMW parts bin, made by Magna Steyr. Transmission is from ZF parts, made for BMW cars, but is highly modified and tuned by Toyota.

 

[Crypto79]

I'd still pick the "auto" over the manual. Shifting the ZF in manual mode is the best of both worlds.

Umm no it isn’t. Asking a computer to shift though a torque converter isn’t the same thing as shifting for your self. The computer can still tell you no. Physically doing something is a completely different level.

while there are lots of things I don’t mind deferring to others but I’ll hold on to diving while I can. I doubt my grand kids in 50 years while have the options to do it much.

 

[FLtrackdays]

I'd still pick the "auto" over the manual. Shifting the ZF in manual mode is the best of both worlds.

Umm no it isn’t. Asking a computer to shift though a torque converter isn’t the same thing as shifting for your self. The computer can still tell you no. Physically doing something is a completely different level.

while there are lots of things I don’t mind deferring to others but I’ll hold on to diving while I can. I doubt my grand kids in 50 years while have the options to do it much.

I could be wrong but I think Danny was talking about choosing the shifts himself. Like a manual. I love my manual MX5. If I had to choose only one (manual or auto), damn it’d be hard. I couldn’t imagine not having live at least one manual car to drive… Luckily for me it was an easier decision in 2022. And I was pleasantly surprised, to say the least

Bonus for the manual: theft deterrent here in the USA. Hardly anyone knows how to drive one

 

[Dannyvandelft]

I could be wrong but I think Danny was talking about choosing the shifts himself. Like a manual. I love my manual MX5. If I had to choose only one (manual or auto), damn it’d be hard. I couldn’t imagine not having live at least one manual car to drive… Luckily for me it was an easier decision in 2022. And I was pleasantly surprised, to say the least

Bonus for the manual: theft deterrent here in the USA. Hardly anyone knows how to drive one

Exactly. I've driven manuals my whole life. Paddle shifters in manual are better.

 

[kern417]

sports car production always has a steep downward slope. Crazy sales the first 1-2 years, then it tapers off exponentially. Toyota is doing a great job of adding something every year to keep sales up as high as possible. I personally think that's why they waited to add the manual until it made sense strategically. It was already available in the Z4.

For the RECORD, the manual transmission is provided by ZF, not BMW. The Supra is made by Magna Steyr, not BMW.

Car is from BMW parts bin, made by Magna Steyr. Transmission is from ZF parts, made for BMW cars, but is highly modified and tuned by Toyota.

Also for the record, no OEM makes their own parts. They only own the design and assembly operations. All of the components are from suppliers so that's not really anything special. It's a BMW product with a few unique interfaces.

 

[Supra_UK_]

Super interesting '23 MT review from a Supra master tech:

 

[Stick45]

Super interesting '23 MT review from a Supra master tech:

Out of the dozens of supra videos I’ve watched over the months, this was by far the most impressive and in depth. This guy is great!

 

[MSport]

So unless I’m understanding this all incorrectly, basically they made the percentage of manuals to autos what they did and they sold. No one ordered more manuals, as Toyota doesn’t take orders like US automakers. Just allocations.

Just looking around I don’t see many new 23s for sale in the US period. So basically what Toyota gave us, we bought. Why is this shocking news or even worth mentioning?

I workat aToyota dealership in sales. There is an inventory specialist at our dealership (very small family owned).We would give him a dream sheet forcustomers with a deposit of $500. We couldn’t promise anything, but he did have a way of”requesting” specific trims and colors, etc. so Toyota listens but basically they barely listen to a small town dealership. I don’t know about the mega dealerships and corporate owned chains.

 

[Tacoma714]

Enthusiasts begged Toyota to offer a manual transmission on the Toyota GR Supra, and so far they have put their money where their mouths were

When it first announced the return of the Supra, Toyota didn’t plan on offering a manual transmission. However, outcry from enthusiasts convinced the automaker to offer a three-pedal option, and new data suggests that it was right to listen to them.

Although the manual transmission is popular among enthusiasts, it is a niche option within the wider automotive world. While the industry has moved away from investing in production of the gearbox type, a small group of automakers has found a way to keep them alive for the enthusiasts who say it garners a closer connection with the car being driven.

The Toyota GR Supra could be considered as one of the success stories of that new drive, because nearly half of all buyers have chosen the transmission, per Road & Track. The outlet reports that since the transmission was introduced for the 2023 model year, 47 percent of all examples featured the new transmission option.

That the transmission is only available on the more expensive, 3.0-liter model makes the fact that Toyota sold 1,216 examples of it all the more impressive. However, the 500 A91-MT Edition models are likely included in the tally, and since that was a limited edition model, it may have an inflating effect on sales.

Announced last spring, the transmission in question is a six-speed unit provided by BMW (on whose platform the GR Supra is based). However, Toyota took pains to customize the transmission, removing unnecessary elements to reduce weight, and modifying the gear ratios to help it feel quick.

In addition, Toyota recently revealed that the linkage and shifter are new, and that it developed the i-MT rev-matching software specifically to make the transmission feel better for drivers. Its hard work has paid off, and not just on the sales charts. Our own Stephen Rivers had a chance to drive the model last year, and said that he expected most buyers to come away highly satisfied.

“We actually drove an automatic Supra back to back with the manual and they feel like considerably different cars in practice,” said Stephen. “The automatic is still as athletic and, in some situations, it’s quicker, but the manual was a lot more fun. The automatic feels like a cruiser while the manual seems to encourage more rowdy behavior.”

https://www.carscoops.com/2023/08/n...r-supra-buyers-opted-for-manual-transmission/

I only opted for the 6MT because this is my fun weekend car. It's extremely engaging and fun to drive. I look for excuses to run errands and take it out of the garage. Had it been my daily driver I'm not sure I would have been one of the manual buyers of 2023. And yes, the manual does encourage rowdy behavior.

 

[Toyota Nerd]

This article is silly when there are tons of people like me who put down a deposit in '22 for a manual and still can't get one. Here we are getting towards the end of '23 and there is no manual in my garage. If I ever get it, it will be a '24. Go tally up our numbers if you want to get a more accurate picture of demand for the manual. The Supra manual is like a crack rock in Philly and someone is going to talk about how well it sold vs the auto.

I would not be surprised if the manual out sold the auto if Toyota could actually get us the car. I mean seriously...shut up and take my money already.

 

[Tacoma714]

This article is silly when there are tons of people like me who put down a deposit in '22 for a manual and still can't get one. Here we are getting towards the end of '23 and there is no manual in my garage. If I ever get it, it will be a '24. Go tally up our numbers if you want to get a more accurate picture of demand for the manual. The Supra manual is like a crack rock in Philly and someone is going to talk about how well it sold vs the auto.

I would not be surprised if the manual out sold the auto if Toyota could actually get us the car. I mean seriously...shut up and take my money already.

Even though the auto vs manual debate is eternal and pointless, here is a good video.

 

[kern417]

This article is silly when there are tons of people like me who put down a deposit in '22 for a manual and still can't get one. Here we are getting towards the end of '23 and there is no manual in my garage. If I ever get it, it will be a '24. Go tally up our numbers if you want to get a more accurate picture of demand for the manual. The Supra manual is like a crack rock in Philly and someone is going to talk about how well it sold vs the auto.

I would not be surprised if the manual out sold the auto if Toyota could actually get us the car. I mean seriously...shut up and take my money already.

the annoying part is some other dealer is probably getting more allocations due to their volume, and they're just rolling the dice on specs. meanwhile an interested enthusiast is out waiting.

 

[kaj]

Even though the auto vs manual debate is eternal and pointless, here is a good video.

I find it interesting that people with manual transmissions love them because of "engagement". Then, at some point, a lot of us start to wish we had a sequential, because now we're in "race car" mode. Especially one with fuel/ignition cut so we can gas/brake/shift like Gran Turismo and click off crazy fast lap times. If we get REALLY serious, we'll add air for paddle shifters to keep hands on the wheel then entire time.

But when a car comes with the paddles already (granted, we don't get the cool sequential whine), it's junk. Sequentials and paddle shifters are only cool if the car began life with a MT.

Too funny

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