zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Culture
/
Weird Things Are Happening With The Toyobaru Twins In Britain
Weird Things Are Happening With The Toyobaru Twins In Britain-April 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:12:28

Image for article titled Weird Things Are Happening With The Toyobaru Twins In Britain

The current Toyota 86 is no more in the UK, as Toyota announced it had just sold its last example of the low-power, high-fun rear-wheel-drive sport coupe there. But British fans shouldn’t despair, because Toyota’s teasing a bright future.

“Of course, this is not the end of the story,” the automaker’s reads. “Watch this space for the next chapter.”

The hint here is that Toyota is making way for the second-generation 86, which rumors suggest will be called GR86 this go-around. Toyota hasn’t revealed the GR86 yet, though Subaru has shown us its sister car, the . And while the original BRZ was sold in the U.K., the new one apparently won’t be. Weird.

I suppose it’s no great loss, as you really don’t need both of the Toyobaru twins — one should suffice. Though I’m left wondering why and how Subaru found it so difficult to market the BRZ over there. It could have something to do with Subaru’s being a rather low-volume brand in the UK that doesn’t handle its own distribution in the territory. It’s licensed out to .

It also might have something to do with an image problem. John Hurtig, Subaru’s UK managing director, related as much to a few weeks ago in an interview about :

“Subaru UK has made a lot of mistakes in the past, to build Subaru’s brand to be something it isn’t any more,” said Hurtig. “[The Impreza] was a performance car, a rally car. It was a good era in UK. But it’s history; it’s a long time ago now. It has nothing really to do with the Subaru brand as it is today.”

If Subaru can’t see a path to selling the WRX in the UK — a vehicle that’s about as practical as enthusiast cars get — it’s hard to imagine it could ever rationalize the BRZ.

Again, as long as the Toyota and Subaru duo are once again the same, save for some exterior differences, the BRZ’s absence shouldn’t matter much. We know the BRZ packs a 228-horsepower, 2.4-liter flat-four and the option of either a 6-speed manual or auto. It’s supposedly much more rigid, with a lower center of gravity, and it weighs no more than its predecessor despite those improvements.

Still, this is so odd to me. Usually, it’s those of us on the other side of the pond that miss out on cool, small, fast cars. Y’all aren’t getting the next either! Honestly, I really would feel bad for you — if you didn’t have the .

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Culture
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
MotorWeek’s is some of the on the internet. The long-running automotive news magazine has a treasure trove of tests after being on the air for over 40 years. Where else can you find detailed instrumented testing of long-forgotten cars like the or a ? MotorWeek’s recent Retro Review upload is...
Apr 22, 2025
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
closed its São Bernardo Plant in November 2023, marking the end of its first overseas production facility. The closure caps off a period of continuous car production in São Paolo, , lasting over 60 years. The plant was home to a Komatsu 700-ton press that predates itself. And now...
Apr 22, 2025
Subaru Had It Right All Along
Subaru Had It Right All Along
When first came to the United States, it sold small funky cars that were decidedly un-American. As the company grew its own identity and became more established in the U.S., it became the first automaker to offer an all-wheel-drive passenger car in 1975. Subaru was also an early-adopter of...
Apr 22, 2025
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I have two automotive loves: The first is the Miata, the second is off-road racing. For a while I raced air-cooled Volkswagens in the deserts of California and Nevada and I was lucky enough to co-drive in a class 11 stock bug in the Baja 1000 a few years...
Apr 22, 2025
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
At long last, we are about to get behind the wheel of for the first time. Sure, , and sure, , and sure , but hey — what can you do? Anyway, before we get behind the wheel of this three-row electric beast, we want to know what you...
Apr 22, 2025
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I love tiny, of . I have a that is roughly half the size of a normal cat, and she’s perfect. I own a 2013 , which is like the miniature version of a normal-sized vehicle (at least here in Texas) — but beyond that, I also own a Hot...
Apr 22, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved