Interviews with Chief Engineer Tetsuya Tada

[LEG1T]

Interesting, but I do think Toyota should offer the MT out the gate, so to not stagnate sales from the very beginning

I mean how will you have demand, if no one wants the auto, just a thought.

Make Manual available from day 1, at the very least special order.

BTW.... All Porsche standard sportcars come standard with Manual Gearbox

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[SVHO]

Interesting, but I do think Toyota should offer the MT out the gate, so to not stagnate sales from the very beginning

I mean how will you have demand, if no one wants the auto, just a thought.

Make Manual available from day 1, at the very least special order.

BTW.... All Porsche standard sportcars come standard with Manual Gearbox

I agree. Trucks are ok with AT but a fun/sports car should be a manual. My current Miata ND is so much fun to drive (yes manual).

 

[Nurburgring]

Very interesting interview! Thanks for sharing.

- They said, "If you like Porsche so much, why don't you just buy one?" I LOL´d at this one.
- AT? DCT? MT? "Lifecycle impulse changes being considered". Sounds like a manual down the line is definitely possible
- Compared to the 86, we’ve easily done more than 10 times as much on-road testing. Hopefully all the BMW "bugs" are ironed out then!
- We envision customers wanting maximum performance from the showroom. Yes please.
- Toyota is conventionally associated with environmental performance. We wanted to break the mold with this car. We will announce something along these lines later. So a hybrid performance version? GRMN probably? Would make sense given Toyota LMP1 motorsport experience.

 

[supraboi]

I wish he would move his head a bit so we could get a better look at the interior lol.

 

[HKz]

I wish he would move his head a bit so we could get a better look at the interior lol.

that shot does seem to make the interior appear to have less cladding and matches the recent interior renderings

 

[zakira]

I'm new to this thread so I don't know if it's been covered, but the supplied translation doesn't cover the part around the 1 hour 10 minutes mark.

There, Tada says, that the car is "coming soon," whereby it can be test driven. If at that time, the opinion is that an MT is still needed/desired, then they of course, would like to supply it. I think that's a part of interest to most of the people here, so I'd like to add that.

But Tada seems confident that the auto or DCT or whatever they have installed already, will satisfy the people.

 

[supraboi]

that shot does seem to make the interior appear to have less cladding and matches the recent interior renderings

I also think they might show a little more vs some of the other shy shots. Does anyone know where this set of spy shots can be found? I looked all over the internet and I'm not having any luck so far.

I'm new to this thread so I don't know if it's been covered, but the supplied translation doesn't cover the part around the 1 hour 10 minutes mark.

There, Tada says, that the car is "coming soon," whereby it can be test driven. If at that time, the opinion is that an MT is still needed/desired, then they of course, would like to supply it. I think that's a part of interest to most of the people here, so I'd like to add that.

But Tada seems confident that the auto or DCT or whatever they have installed already, will satisfy the people.

Nice, do you speak Japanese? Is there anything else that was missed?

 

[zakira]

Yes I'm bilingual. Sure there's more interesting stuff since it's well over an hour long.

 

[supraboi]

Yes I'm bilingual. Sure there's more interesting stuff since it's well over an hour long.

Sweet, do you think you can fill in the blank / add to existing Q&A translation.

 

[zakira]

You'll have to give me time, but that MT part is really what matters. He also went on to say how Porsche offers MTs on some of its high end models and knows that the driving pleasure it gives can never be replaced.

 

[Supra93]

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

We interviewed Tetsuya Tada, the father of the Toyota Supra: "we are going to launch a version in 2019 but it will not be the last"

The Toyota Supra will be presented in 2019 and his father, Tetsuya Tada, gives us some details of the next Toyota sports car that will arrive next year in a coupe configuration, with automatic transmission, two seats and 4 and 6 cylinder engines.

We were able to interview Tetsuya Tada, chief engineer responsible for the return of the Toyota Supra , with whom we shared a very interesting talk about Toyota's sporting future that will hit the market in 2019.

This model is creating a lot of expectation, we heard about it in the booths of other manufacturers, within the Toyota itself, including its Hospitality -where sometimes model data were whispered- and during the evenings of the press days. We have been waiting for the return of this sport for a long time and its launch is about to begin.

During the Geneva Motor Show, Toyota has presented the GR SUPRA Racing Concept confirming the arrival of the street model, something that we all knew at this point and also leaving the door open to compete with it as soon as it is launched in its Toyota Gazoo Racing division .

An incredible prototype, it seems completely real. Is it simply a design exercise or will we see it on the street or competing? I ask because it seems a "very real" prototype

" (Laughter) Of course, you can see it on the street. "

What confirms that as its predecessor will return to the races of the Japanese Super GT, probably in the class GT500, where the cars compete with engines of four cylinders and two liters of displacement with powers superior to the 600 CV. See it in the WEC next to your LMP1? Do not discard anything.

People are very aware of Toyota and this project, especially the model that we will see on the street. Tell us some details.

" I can say that it is developing very gradually, at this moment we are entering the next phase, the production phase. "

When will we be able to see this model on the street?

" We do not have a safe date yet, but probably by early 2019 we will be able to give you all the details. "

Is it going to be produced in Japan?

" We do not have the answer to that question, we will be happy to give you an interview later. "

This answer makes good sense if we take into account that as far as we know the company Magna Steyr plans to start manufacturing it at the end of this year 2018. Obviously, even if the model is manufactured outside of Japan, that does not mean that it transmits all its essence and that assemble under your guidelines.

What is the new Toyota Supra?

" We know that we have a large number of Supra fans around the world, we have received request after request for many years to bring Supra back to the market, and we apologize because it has taken us too long, 15 years, but finally, we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. "

What does it mean for you to work on a project like Supra's?

" Many of us have dreamed for years of being part of a project like this, personally, I feel tremendously fortunate to have participated in the GT86 and now, of Supra. "

To date we know that the future Toyota Supra will share gasoline blocks with the successor of the BMW Z4 , which has been developed in parallel; later I ask him about it. With different powers, the blocks will be four cylinders and 2.0 liters of displacement with 210 and 273 HP as well as a six-cylinder 3.0 of 375 HP. All of them approximate data until its homologation. I wanted to take the opportunity to prod you about it:

When we talk about this model, are we talking about a single version or a range of possible versions?

" Sports cars should always be in continuous renovation, otherwise customers would get bored or feel that we are not giving them everything we can, so we are going to launch a version in 2019 but it will not be the last, of course, to continue evolving. "

Hybrid vehicles are an important pillar in Toyota. Do you think hybrid technology can be applied to street sports?

" When working with hybrid vehicles, the laws limit us, it's not a matter of technology or equipment, but we have to take into account the evolution of the regulations, but in response to your question, of course, at Toyota we always seek to use the better technology, both hybrid and traditional, we are aware of the evolution of all these technologies and we always look for the best for the future of our sports cars. "

What we still do not know is whether the range of mechanics will be available worldwide or there will be exclusive engines in some markets, probably will be. According to the answer you have given us it would make sense that the Supra was presented in one version and that after a prudent time of commercialization came another that accompanied him, a superior in a hybrid set that brings the capabilities of the model to the maximum.

How is Toyota and BMW collaborating in this project?

" In this project, Toyota is in charge of the conceptual development of the product, the interior design and the exterior, while BMW is basically in charge of the product launch, driving tests and other minor production tasks. , in this project we work together side by side, so every step we take in the project we consult and decide between the two, to be sure that we follow the right direction. "

Have you driven the BMW Z4 replacement? What is your opinion about it?

" Of course I've driven it, but obviously I can not comment on it (laughs). "

In case you do not know so much the Supra as the successor of the BMW Z4 are built on the same platform, share some engines as well as have shared stages of development, but as we have been told during the event, the Supra will be a pure sport more radical than his Bavarian counterpart.

What is, in your opinion, the sexiest point of the Toyota Supra: weight, power, design?

" Of course, driving dynamics is one of our strengths, but within the design, the front (literally bumper) of the car is also very attractive. "

Against what models do you think Supra is going to have to compete when it's launched?

" There is no clear and direct competitor of this model of Supra, however, when developing the car, we have been aware of the Porsche models. "

What sports car would you like to see in Toyota after the Supra?

" All the rumors that run about Toyota, which states that we do not stop developing possible models, are true: we are developing many new projects, but not all of them come out ahead." We decided to launch models according to priorities and voices of customers, so please tell your readers and viewers to send us any kind of request or comment about our products. "

If I did the Toyota GT86 now, what would it change?

" Of course, since we launched the GT86 we have received many requests from all over the world, for example, many ask when the next version of the GT86 will be released, we take into account all these requests, and we do not have this plan in mind right now, we need a few more years to know what other elements a car like this would need. "

You have the Yaris GRMN, the GT86 and the Supra. In the future, is there any other car that you want to develop to cover some other segment of the market?

" Unlike traditional models, when we create a sports car, we try to address all market segments that exist, because we look at the demands of the market, and the passion and motivation to create a vehicle come from customers. "

And with a big smile, so ends the interview with TADA-SAN, the person responsible for the project that will bring the Supra back to our lives. We will still have to wait to drive it, although in April it will be possible to drive the racing prototype in the Gran Turismo Sport videogame .

Another big question will be the price , no longer at European level, if not in our market, a figure that is complex to estimate. Think of a price from above 40,000 euros, and if finally the model is presented with two versions, expect that the most powerful is closer to 60 than 50,000; bear in mind that today the Toyota GT86 is available from 34,490 euros.

 

[Modal170]

You'll have to give me time, but that MT part is really what matters. He also went on to say how Porsche offers MTs on some of its high end models and knows that the driving pleasure it gives can never be replaced.

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?

If so....

 

[Modal170]

Awesome! This was a very telling interview IMO. Fortifies everything that @A70TTR has been telling us, and I think confirms that we'll be getting an auto out the gate and a possible mid-cycle refresh with a manual if the demand is there.

Toyota should make a statement as the car enters it's first successful year of production that the manual version is coming, please show your support when it's released. giving people a heads up, and perhaps even the press a chance to test, will add another boost to sales.

 

[Spilner]

Okay, so I have a quick and dirty translation/synopsis for about 20minutes worth of this interview, from none other than the OG, @ichitaka05. We'll try to get the rest of it out soon, it's a long interview!

I'm not surprised the BMW crew is like this, just look at how their cars are on the road

 

[Modal170]

I'm not surprised the BMW crew is like this, just look at how their cars are on the road

Elaborate?

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