You sir are a hero to us all.
Ops sorry, my bad; false alarm everyone.Sadly this is a FWD trans.

Yup, "cable type" gave the game away. I wonder what the cost would be to develop a variant for RWD... although it may be that this transmission is intended for lower powered cars and could not meet the torque requirements of the Supra.Sadly this is a FWD trans.
A manual transmission seems to be off the table. Tada said that Supra fans don't think it's a huge requirement, though we have a hard time believing him on that point. As it's likely a BMW engine, look for some variant of the ZF eight-speed automatic or possibly a dual-clutch transmission. There won't be a transaxle either, though Tada says the Supra will have perfect 50:50 weight distribution. It'll also have a lower center-of-gravity than the 86, though how it achieves either of those things with a longer, taller engine and a shorter wheelbase is unclear. Black magic, we say.
My main concern is that if there's no 3.0 + Manual config in any car, then fooling the ECU that the auto trans is fine after swapping it for a manual will be a bit of a challenge. With the rapid development of aftermarket CANBUS translators though, I'm sure it won't be too much of an issue, given enough time and money.Here's to hoping the Z4 components are mostly bolt-on.
Jeff
If he's in New York, I'll try to have a sit down with him.I would assume market research from that segment, because it was already an auto by the time they started asking me a bunch of questions. That said, you'd have to get a direct answer from Tada.
I still want to give Tada my money for rekindling the feeling of Toyota that Gran turismo has put on me.I hate to say it, but we can't really be surprised as all the rumors were pointing in this direction. As to why this is the case, I'd like somebody to grill Tada-San a little more about it. Specifically, is this from the input of the various meetings they had with Supra and 86 owners, or was this decided through some other means of market research?
Did you see that TG article on the car not premiering until early next year? I wonder what the details there are.If he's in New York, I'll try to have a sit down with him.