Lack of Manual Transmission Option in New Toyota Supra Causes Angry Moods
Debates on the future of manual transmissions in the time of auto industry automation do not go off. In the pursuit of profit, major carmakers often give preference to more popular automatic transmissions. However, it does not always have the desired effect. For example, the recently presented 2020 Toyota Supra, equipped with the 8-speed automatic transmission (only!) received a lot of mixed reviews.
It’s not a secret that the new Toyota Supra was
designed in partnership with BMW, thus you can easily notice the similarity to
the new BMW Z4 model. Both cars are based on the same platform, but they also
have many different features typical for each brand.
BMW Z4 and Toyota Supra look like brothers
However, the new Toyota was criticized by Toyota fans for taking too much from BMW. But the fact that the company did not provide the new Supra version with a manual transmission was especially disappointing.
Undoubtedly, the 2020 Toyota Supra equipped
with the ZF 8-speed automatic transmission (with paddle shifters) has some
performance advantages – smoother gear shifting and better ratios. But for many
admirers of Toyota cars the manual option is a must for an enjoyable drive.
Moreover, it is well-known that the Toyota engineers were working on the manual
option for Supra. Therefore, the fact that only the automatic version is
available raised a lot of questions.
Take a look inside the new 2020 Toyota Supra
Tetsuya Tada, the chief engineer of the 2020
Toyota Supra, said in the Detroit Auto Show interview that it is too early to
give up on prospects of the manual transmission for Supra. Tada emphasized that
currently Toyota offers the Toyota 86 equipped with the manual transmission and
the company wants to focus on support of the 86. He also did not deny that
Toyota engineers did some work on the manual option for Supra. Moreover, he
said that the development process does not stop with the official release of
the car.
Lastly, Tetsuya Tada said that he knows about
the internet movement in favor of a stick-shifter for Supra and eventually the
demand will do its job. It may seem like a silver lining for supporters of manuals.
2020 Toyota Supra at 2019 Detroit Auto Show
It is also interesting to note that one of the BMW officials assured admirers of the BMW modes with manuals that the company will certainly include manual options for its new M4.
