Toyota Presents World Debut of the New 2022 GR 86

[Matador]

Hard to say from just that angle but it's nice to see another camo'd version out testing.

I don't see Toyota or Subaru investing much more substantially in the current generation other than minor tweaks. The current engine and chassis are increasingly coming up against new emission requirements and new crash/safety requirements.

This car has 4-6 more years left in it, why wouldn't they?

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[KahnBB6]

This car has 4-6 more years left in it, why wouldn't they?

2030-2032...? The current model is only a reworking of the already old 2012 platform as a means to extend its life, keep the model on sale a bit longer (from the outgoing 2021 GT86) and reasonably improve it before a completely new platform needs to be introduced to comply with new crash safety and emission regulations around the globe.

Toyota and Subaru no longer wanted to invest jointly in a totally new platform together so they parted ways so Toyota could go its own way with the 3rd gen car. A 3rd gen which they weren't going to be anywhere close to having ready for sale by 2022.

The U.S., Canada, Japan and a couple of southeast Asia markets still have it on sale for now but even Japan has new emissions standards that it soon won't meet. It hasn't been on sale in the UK or EU for a while now.

The current generation will be sold as long as enough markets legally allow it to be but it will not be on an 8-10 year production cycle before gen 3 is introduced.

Toyota and Subaru could invest a ton in this now old platform and somehow get it to pass new crash tests well with non-flat engine without changing the existing geometry drastically but it would probably come close to or be as much as it would be to go with a new gen 3 chassis/platform altogether. If they did for whatever reason decide to go that route then it's the very thing they felt they didn't have nearly enough time to do before the 2nd gen refresh had to be ready for sale.

 

[Bryster]

would the GR86 allow a T Top?

 

[KahnBB6]

would the GR86 allow a T Top?

We know next to nothing about the 3rd gen GR86 so far other than that it'll likely use one of Toyota's G-series I-3 or I-4 engines and have some mild hybrid system available-- hopefully still retaining a manual transmission option. And that the current reworked platform hailing from 2012 is very old now.

If Toyota wants the next one to have a T-top available they could make it happen.

Personally I'd not want one so equipped. I'm not a fan of T-tops (or sunroofs). To me the GR86 having a solid roof was one of its major selling points.

Eventually any roof that isn't solid will develop leaks. And eventually OEM parts for those systems will become discontinued when they become classics which leaves only custom aftermarket solutions. And I'd be concerned of Toyota allocating something like 90% or more examples in the U.S. inventory in T-top (or sunroof) configuration in anything but base trims which they have done with past sports models.

Maybe GR will find a way to avoid that historically huge imbalance as to allocated configurations if this option were to be introduced.

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