Quote:
Originally Posted by spiceyxi
At this point it feels like Tada is trying to one up Elon on how to best piss off early adopters. Is there a sense that some of these changes are reactionary or if they were planned from the start?
I have literally no knowledge on running a car company, but it feels like the Supra is going to be a HBR on how not to launch a car. Fatigue from years of teases, the perception of selling out a beloved brand (I.e. rebadging a BMW), a design that is polarizing, but considered too boring from the design experiment, poor timing of the actual launch with the near perfect reveal of an objectively storied competitor car, weaker tech specs compared to the car it sold it's soul to and almost instant rumors of better versions coming out the next year.
I like the Supra, but I wanted to love it as a replacement to the Z4 coupe. Just not there, but depending on how depreciation hits it maybe I will consider it one day.
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Yes, most people including myself would have preferred an in-house project, but it is what it is. With that said...
How so? Tada-san has stated that the car will receive yearly updates. I don't see how that is any different than what other auto makers have done in the past. When I brought my 05 545i for BMW to only release the 550i for the 2006 year model.
To be fair tons of other sports cars (NSX, GTR, FR-S/86 etc.) have gone through the same process. It isn't an automakers fault that auto media has nothing better to do then to run the same stories over and over with slightly angles.
Rebaded BMW: That would be true if BMW was already developing a new Z4 and Toyota jumped on and piggy backed on the process. The fact is that both companies worked together on a joint chassis for both cars. Yes I know the drivetrain and suspension came from the BMW parts bin. Love it or hate it, we're going to see more of these joint ventures for low volume niche products.
Weaker tech: Well there is a huge price differences between the I6 Supra and Z4 M40i. Looking at the sales and reviews, I think most people are just fine with less tech.
Poor timing: You can blame BMW for stalling this project for a whole year.
Polarizing design: I'm just wondering if you have seen one in person? I thought it look like shit in photo until I see one at the dealer. A lot of other people on various forums felt the same way as well. You can't please everyone, but for a $50k car I think it looks pretty nice in the flesh.