Interviews with Chief Engineer Tetsuya Tada

[zakira]

So... he's saying there will be a manual like a 911 GT3? Moreso a potential for a compeltely pure sports car with better specs?

Well, he said that he never said there won't be an MT. But at Geneve, the MT fans mistook his words to mean that an MT is ruled out, so an uproar ensued (you can see he threw up his hands to describe the uproar @1:09:53). lol

My take away from the video is that an MT is still in consideration if there is enough demand.

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[Spilner]

Elaborate?

Ignoring Turn signals and whatnot

 

[Levi]

Ignoring Turn signals and whatnot

Turn signals is nothing compared to tail gating, forcing passage, cutting off lane, stealing parking spots, etc...

 

[Lexusisf]

I ran across this older interview from Geneva, but I don't think it has been posted. Originally in Spanish, and translated by Google.

https://www.motor.es/noticias/entrevista-tetsuya-tada-toyota-supra-2019-201844546.html

Thanks for the details on the interview some very interesting comments made, some new some we have heard before. Sure liking the 375HP comment, and while he didnt comment on weight if as projected, it will be sweet!

 

[Supra93]

bc added a little onto the translation of the interview.

Tada-san shares an interesting anecdote at around 15 minutes in the video. I didn’t translate it initially, but it seems like an important point in the Toyota-BMW partnership. I’ve seen him tell this story a couple times in Japanese interviews:

Our relationship with BMW wasn’t always perfect…

It was 2012, and we were still having basic discussions about how to build a sports car together. BMW and Toyota associates still really didn’t know each other, so we thought it would be appropriate to have cross-company test drive event at a BMW test track where we could drive each other’s products. We would bring our sports cars, the 86, etc. and they would provide vehicles like their M cars.

It was my first time being a guest of BMW at one of their test track facilities, so the other Toyota test drivers and I arrived about an hour early.

It was pouring rain and I asked if there somewhere we can wait.

They told us to stand waiting under a tent set up in the middle of the test track.

I noticed there were many buildings all around us asked if we could wait inside a building.

Our hosts replied: “You guys? There are no buildings that you dudes can enter.” Delivered in a tone that suggested my query was in defiance of common sense.

When the event finally began, the tent kept us dry but provided no shelter from the raw opinions and observations of my Bavarian counterparts as they experienced our vehicles.
They all knew the Toyota brand, but very few had experience with our cars. I heard comments like:

“This is the first time I’ve driven a Toyota in my life.”
“Oh wow, I can’t believe it actually drives like a normal car!”
“What is this thing?”

It was at that point that I learned a little bit more about how to understand the folks at BMW.

 

[Lexusisf]

Probably will never know who talked to Tada-san or who drove the Toyota that day, but he was being very nice saying how how he learned how to understand BMW folks...to me they sounded very arrogant and immature...I may have walked away and ended it right then...

 

[Modal170]

bc added a little onto the translation of the interview.

Jesus christ they sound like children

 

[A70TTR]

it was not an easy transition... as said, Tada thought Subaru was a pain in the ass prior to that, but soon learned that was nothing in comparison.

 

[2JZ-No-Sh*t]

BMW employees sounds like they're a bunch of douche bags.

 

[A70TTR]

they were in the beginning, but eventually they started to really like Tada specifically and one source believes he may do contract work for them in the future now that he is officially retired from tenure at Toyota.

 

[Captain_Kirk]

I wonder which cars Toyota brought for BMW to test drive? I would have brought the following:

LFA
86
A80 Supra
W20 MR2
6th gen Celica GT-Four

 

[Modal170]

they were in the beginning, but eventually they started to really like Tada specifically and one source believes he may do contract work for them in the future now that he is officially retired from tenure at Toyota.

Bmw seeking help from Tada?

Oh man, imagine he works on the 2 and 3 series by bringing back the feel of driving but make sure the M versions are in a class of their own?

 

[Levi]

Bmw seeking help from Tada?

Oh man, imagine he works on the 2 and 3 series by bringing back the feel of driving but make sure the M versions are in a class of their own?

Rather than Toyota make BMW that are The Ultimate Driving Machine because they can't anymore, I would prefer Toyota to make Alfa Romeo and Maserati reliable, as they did for Porsche. Alfa Romeo and Maserati deserve it more.

 

[Lexusisf]

They should have brought a Prius with them as a joke...

 

[rtoadyt]

I still have hope for the mkv. A70TTR said abt toyota developing modern day 2j, if this is true, it'll be the main highlight of the car. Hopefully all the time they spent, they take effort to over-engineer this rumored motor. Take the 2jz blueprint, improve the emissions, the weight, the tech, reliability, durability, tuning potential, etc. 3JZ seemed like a fantasy before they revealed GRMN Supra Racing Concept, now it seems like 3JZ could very well be a reality.

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