👣 Official: Toyota Announces Manual Transmission Supra!

The new Porsche 911 Speedster will have a 6-speed manual transmission gearbox. Hope the Toyota Supra will have it too....because it would be a lot more fun to drive, with a manual.

Check out the new 911 Speedster’s highlight film:

Not Supra related, but I thought it was interesting.

Here’s How Many Manual Transmission-equipped Vehicles Toyota Sold Last Year

https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2...sion-equipped-vehicles-toyota-sold-last-year/

Captain_Kirk said:

Not Supra related, but I thought it was interesting.

Here’s How Many Manual Transmission-equipped Vehicles Toyota Sold Last Year

https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2...sion-equipped-vehicles-toyota-sold-last-year/

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The market of the manual transmission is dying Just like the Supra, people clamor for a manual variant; but they buy the automatic version. Makes no sense from a marketing standpoint. As much as I want the Supra to be in manual, I think there’s a slim chance it’ll make it to production. We have to buy more manuals to save the manuals. Considering that car manufacturers that build enthusiast cars, only a handful of them are still building manuals nowadays; but usually, they sell the manuals as limited edition models, and they’re priced higher than expected. Just like what Porsche is doing. They’re still building manuals. They just launched a new 911 Speedster in manual, though it’s pretty expensive. Hoping Toyota can still find a way to build the Supra in manual; but be affordably priced.

Some of that data is skewed though. Corollas have been considered the most boring 4cyl economy cars on the market for decades now. The Corolla is not a car an enthusiast would even shop for, at least not till the new hatch came out. Which is selling 15% in manual which is not bad at all considering how many Corollas they sell total, that's a lot of manuals!

As for their trucks, they don't actually offer manuals for every configuration so you can't trust that either. I'm not sure about the new Tacomas, but I just spent most of last year shopping for the perfect first gen with a stick, and it was a total PITA. You want a crew cab? They're all auto. You want a PreRunner? They're all auto. Friggin annoying.
For something like the Supra, you should be looking at the stick to auto ratio on muscle cars, the Miata, Jag FTypes, Caymans, the Vette etc. That would paint a better picture.

SupraFiend said:

For something like the Supra, you should be looking at the stick to auto ratio on muscle cars, the Miata, Jag FTypes, Caymans, the Vette etc. That would paint a better picture.

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Here is the rate for the C7. Which is probably why GM is rumored to offer the C8 as auto only. Even the 86 MT rate has dropped to 1/3.

2016: 23%
2017: 22%

https://www.corvetteblogger.com/2017/06/09/production-statistics-for-the-2017-corvette-model-year/
https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/car-technology/news/a30217/2016-corvette-manual-take-rate/

Here is what Autoblog is reporting about the Miata.

https://www.autoblog.com/2019/05/15/mazda-mx5-miata-manual-take-rate/

We reached out to Mazda for some sales data, and PR program manager Tim Olson told us 76 percent of Miata soft-top buyers go for the classic stick-shift option, leaving just 24 percent of buyers preferring the automatic. Both transmission options for the Miata are six-speed. The figures are based on year-to-date sales data for the 181-hp 2019 Miata, from July 2018 through April 2019.

Interestingly, the more coupe or targa-like, retractable hardtop RF variant takes a step towards the 86 when it comes to transmission choices. While RF buyers still preferred the manual, the split was far closer to half and half: 52% went for the manual, and 48% chose the automatic.

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A 22% take rate for a single model (and a sports car model at that) is still pretty sizable. Unless it's gone down to 5% for 2019 sales then Chevy still has a business case to offer it. And they've already proven they *can* offer a manual C8 Corvette if they choose to according to a leaked patent application for a remote servo actuated clutch system.

The Miata take rate is welcome. Hard to imagine a 181hp gas-only drop top small sports car being ordered predominantly with an automatic.

The manual take rate figures on the 86 are upsetting. Maybe it's also because of so many enthusiast complaints over its mere 200hp and 156 ft-lbs of torque. Even 250hp/200ft-lbs might tell a different manual take rate story on the 86 when the same buyers who want a manual and power probably go to the Mustang, Camaro or alternatively the Miata just because its even lighter... and it's a car pretty much king of that particular model type offering in the U.S. market.

Still... sad news all around. Until hybrid-electric goes into full swing in sports cars manual transmissions should continue to be offered. And the window between now and that changeover will not be very many years anyway so... why deny people the choice while its still possible both technically and within the scope of current fuel economy and emissions regulations?

Because those are the reasons manuals in gas-only cars will become technically ineligible for being offered.

Very sad, apart from the Miata news.

The difference between the Miata and the 86 is purely from the hardtop and rear seats. The 86 is fantastic DD material while the Miata convertible is almost purely a weekend sunny day toy and is about as practical as a pogo stick. The RF numbers prove it, retractable hard top makes the Miata much more DD friendly to more people.

Also, people suck, buy more manuals!

SupraFiend said:

Also, people suck, buy more manuals!

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Slogan: "Live a little more... and buy a manual transmission car that's fun to drive.... while you still have the option to."

Aisin, the transmission supplier, is over 30% owned by Toyota. If Toyota could utilize the Aisin AZ6 manual transmission in the 86, for sure they could do the same with the Supra. Toyota doesn’t need to utilize BMW’s transmission. They could build it themselves. I really don’t get it what’s the problem why Toyota didn’t launch the manual transmission with the initial offering. I’m thinking this is all marketing. Toyota just wants to play with us, and hype up everything, before they make things possible.

SupraFiend said:

The difference between the Miata and the 86 is purely from the hardtop and rear seats. The 86 is fantastic DD material while the Miata convertible is almost purely a weekend sunny day toy and is about as practical as a pogo stick. The RF numbers prove it, retractable hard top makes the Miata much more DD friendly to more people.

Also, people suck, buy more manuals!

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Numbers show that only about 30% of the total 86 sales are manuals. Mazda, with regards to Miata, sells a lot more manuals. 76% of the soft-top buyers still buy the manual, and 52% of the RF buyers go for manual. Still a lot more than Toyota.

AsupramkvC said:

Aisin, the transmission supplier, is over 30% owned by Toyota. If Toyota could utilize the Aisin AZ6 manual transmission in the 86, for sure they could do the same with the Supra. Toyota doesn’t need to utilize BMW’s transmission. They could build it themselves. I really don’t get it what’s the problem why Toyota didn’t launch the manual transmission with the initial offering. I’m thinking this is all marketing. Toyota just wants to play with us, and hype up everything, before they make things possible.

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You need to think about the fact that the 86's manual does not suit the Supra's torque level and would shatter that clutch plate to bits. Tada tested BMW's manuals and like the majority of car reviewers out there it is flawed. And for Tada, it isn't up to his standards nor Toyota's standards. They are developing a new manual as we speak. We have to sit tight. But they have to release one asap.

F1 Silver Arrows said:

You need to think about the fact that the 86's manual does not suit the Supra's torque level and would shatter that clutch plate to bits. Tada tested BMW's manuals and like the majority of car reviewers out there it is flawed. And for Tada, it isn't up to his standards nor Toyota's standards. They are developing a new manual as we speak. We have to sit tight. But they have to release one asap.

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It could be that the manual transmission for the new Supra is still under development and testing. I remember what Tada said before regarding the manual they tested that it couldn’t match the Supra’s torque level, that the Supra’s current engine is too powerful for the manual; and that the ZF 8HP automatic they have right now fits the B58 very well. If that’s the case, I really do hope that, at this point in time, Toyota is working hard on the manual transmission of the Supra so that they could mass produce it in a couple of years, just at the right time before electrification revolutionizes the auto industry. I’m just right here waiting...


...now that BMW has announced that they will start producing the Z4 20i with manual transmission staring July 2019(for the entry level, less powerful variant), this is a sign of good things to come for the Supra, especially for those craving for a manual.

BMW have just announced the 2.0 Z4 will be available with the manual box. No word on the larger engines, but def a step in the right direction for those wondering if the supra will ever be available with a manual box.

Adding the option of a manual transmission to the Supra(vs. ZF8HP AT) would make it ... well, slower, but also more engaging for the purists.