TOYOTA - SUBARU Development "Team 86" summary...
 

A question brought up in Club4AG forums, I will share here on FT86Club as I thought it was interesting to describe to everyone who have one thought or another about WHo did what in the collaborative prodess of Subaru and Toyota.

Quote:

originally posted by Panda_AE86 »

Yes, FHI is now 27% owned by Toyota, on paper...one can only imagine what is actual since they are both, complex multi-structured corporations, with many subsidiaries and even shared interest ownerships of various suppliers and sub-divisions.

As for the collaboration, it was Mr.Tada, under guidance of President A. Toyoda of Toyota, who was assigned to gather a special design task force from both Subaru and Toyota in a singular think tank.
Originally a singular Toyota concept, it was later assigned to use resources of Subaru which has had production facilities available, and to utilize the spare capacities of the Subaru plants, parts suppliers, etc. Collaborations also involve teams from Toyota Europe, Aisin, various tire makes, and Denso as well as dozens of others.
Subaru engineers and execs were at first very skeptical about the concept, and were reluctant to develop a 2wd car with no AWD option, nor an NA based flat four.
But after spending several months talking and playing with a RWD concept mule car, sharing seat time in cars, drivers and passengers, Subaru and Toyota engineers sitting side by side, they firmly committed.

By the time full development started, they were very cohesive with everyone, and the team worked in unison to the end to follow the goals and guidelines set in the initial concept focus.
These are the men and women who are called the TEAM 86, chosen to not be either Toyota or Subaru, but a singular entity who were simply at the task of using resources available in either, and crating something closest fitting to the goal of making the FT86 siblings.

Key developers on the "TEAM 86" project:
T. Tada - chief engineer Toyota
F. Ito - Product Planning 86 Project Subaru
A. Takada - Product Planning/Marketing Division, Toyota
T. Furukawa - Exterior Design, Toyota Design Group
K. Kido - Exterior Design/Toyota Creative Studio
T. Noda - Body/Product Management - Subaru
M.Toyama - Group Manager, Design Toyota
Y. Hayashi - Interior Design, Toyota Design Group
H. Kishi - Engine Management Systems R&D 86 Project Subaru
T. Okamoto - New Engine Development - Toyota Advanced Engine Design
M. Otani - Engine Development Toyota
K. Watanabe - Engine Development - Toyota
K. Nakamura - Product Management - Engine Group Toyota
T. Ishikawa - Manual Transmission Development Aisin AI
T. Kaino - Manual Transmission Development
H. Tomomatsu - 6 sp Automatic Development, Toyota
M. Takagi - Advanced Testing Driver - Toyota
Y. Sasaki - Chassis Development
A. Osaka - Chief Driving Test Engineer
H. Kishi - Aftermarket Product Planning Division, Sport Vehicle Management
K. Okino - Aftermarket Product Division, Toyota

And many more working under thier guideance, and contributing from both ends of the firms involved, and outside 3rd party aftermarket, suppliers, producers, and outfitters as well as testing facilities, racing teams, benchmarking firms, and research task-forces especially setup under TEAM 86.

So in actuality, the only SUBARU-TOYOTA battle is merely in the minds of the uninformed fan-base, customers, and loyal egos of the folks who covet the badge more than the car?
Because internally, it is ONE and focused only to bring you the best compact sports car for the money, deeply thought out and catering sharply to driving enthusiasts of deep appreciation in vehicle dynamics.

That is what TEAM 86 is about.

And FRS/BRZ, GT86, and Toyota 86 are all siblings made of the same bloodline.
I can elaborate for days on this, but I will stop here to let you visualize from this, what this looked like on the inside. :D
http://www.driftpro.net/zf/images/smile/emsmile.gif http://www.driftpro.net/zf/images/smile/emsmile.gif http://www.driftpro.net/zf/images/smile/emthup.gif http://www.driftpro.net/zf/images/smile/emthup.gif http://www.club4ag.com/zf/images/smile/embeer.gif http://www.club4ag.com/zf/images/smile/embeer.gif http://www.club4ag.com/zf/images/smile/emwink.gif http://www.club4ag.com/zf/images/smile/emwink.gif http://www.club4ag.com/zf/images/smile/emwink.gif http://www.club4ag.com/zf/images/smile/emwink.gif http://www.club4ag.com/zf/images/smile/emsmilep.gif http://www.club4ag.com/zf/images/smile/emsmilep.gif

Yep. :thumbsup:

I just wish I was part of Team 86. It's my lifelong goal to be a part of a new sports car design even though I'm not really in that field now. :(

Of course, some separation of vehicle image, target ads, and marketing tactics may differ depending on the brand it is sold as. However this is in my view, an excellent way in which the same package can be attractive to many buyers from all walks of life, and to sustain a large market-base in which a product like this must cover to sustain both profitability and volume, but also for the enthusiasts to have a healthy volume of cars not only now, but well into second and third ownership and beyond, as a classic sports car that we can enjoy for our lifetime.

I'm a noodle shop owner, who kept a passion for cars, and lived and ate cars as much as noodles, shared all I can, my life and blood with everyone who came across my life about cars. I had a big group of folks all interested in sharing fun things about cars at Club4AG and events I've partaken in, created, consulted, operated, and marketed.

One day, a man named Mr.Tada called me in the fall of 2007. And everything was history. If only for few brief but deeply memorable meetings in the few years and countless emails...
I too, am a tiny bit of the TEAM86.

And as for all of you who I may have come across, shook hands, or wrote somewhere on the net, what we wrote...
All influences me, and others who spoke to Team 86 in one way or another.

And THAT makes most of YOU, the TEAM 86 as well.

That is how Mr.Tada feels, and how I see it too.

That's really cool! Ever since I was little my heroes were product designers like Yuji Naka (creator of Sonic the Hedgehog). I would probably get faint talking to someone like Tada-san. But even though I constantly design things in my spare time, and I feel confident in that ability, it is nothing more than a hobby and life has not led me down that career path. I currently own a computer services company but I am hoping to find an opportunity to design some real products in the future. To me, making a wonderful product is more exciting than making a child! :lol:

Awesome post as always Moto-P. Thank you for everything you have done (and are still doing) for the car community :bow:

Mari0 hit the nail on the head. Moto-P does so much for this forum and the community in general. Moto-P deserves a special signature or member name or something :thumbsup:

Thank you for sharing such wondering insight into the passion that makes up this car and the community that surrounds it.

Great post thank you for greater insight on the development. I'm so fascinated with this car as a whole and since I'm a designer by trade know more of its cool.caption and creation just helps me fall in love just that little bit more. :thumbsup:

That is really cool to know. I was never aware of just how much of a joint project this was! Now I can stop spewing "Subaru engineered the car, Toyota styled the car" nonsense and simply say that the car was designed by both manufacturers with equal enthusiasm, and is a lovechild of two great Japanese carmakers.

Thank you Moto-P! Mind if I ask why these guys don't belong to any of the two companies?

I would think the chassis was developed by Subaru while the test driving was done by Toyota. No idea about the aftermarket planning though.

I'd like to buy each and everyone of these folks a Beer or at least a canned coffee from a vending machine!

That's a really amazing story. It was things like this that got me into the automotive field to begin with. Although I somehow I ended up on the German side of things, I hope one day I can do something like this.

I still think Subaru gets under credited

Hope to see this done by June 1st

And let this be the end of all "versus" sibling discussions! Cheers to Moto-P and his outstanding contributions as well as reasoning. You really are a great inspiration and truly are an asset to this community as a whole!

If you think like this, a car with this much integrity would never be born. This was a collaboration of both firms, sending their most passionate, and capable engineers into a separate and singular engineering program, not belonging to one or the other at any given time, but only belonging to the TEAM86.

The names I posted without origins of which firm is my lack of not being completely inside knowing them all in person. I don't know for sure at this time which company they originated. I have met Mr.Okino and he is from Toyota.

To us though, this is not important at this time, but only that they were there to do their share of taking a very key role in design of the FT86 siblings, for Toyota and Subaru both, a single product.
Ideas from both side's engineers and designers meshed and collaborated on the entire car.

Take for example the flat four engine. It is a Subaru engineered base design, but LFA's technicians, Aisin's drivetrain experts, 3rd party inputs, and Toyota's durability and testing as well as electronics experts, metallurgy experts, acoustic engineers, 3rd party test engineers, and drivers, all put unimaginable time and resources. This is not a case where Subaru engine was simply fitted with Toyota injection. No, it is MUCH more than that. And the same goes for almost every component on this car.

You will probably see a lot of similar components based on Subaru hardware, and yes it is manufactured by majority of the components based on their designs and suppliers, but this is because the manufacturing was assigned to FHI branch of the TEAM86.
It does go without saying though, that every component was reviewed, modified, re-engineered, and carefully pieced together so that FHI can push them out of the factory reliably, and quickly, and with as much care and integration that can afford the best balance of cost and performance, and to ensure that the spirit and goals were met on the passion of the vehicle, to retain it's very soul.
None of this is purely Subaru or Toyota. It's the singular entity of Team86, the best from both.

If you think the Subaru side is under-credited, I'll say otherwise. The initial designation by Toyota's marketing branch called for the 4U-GSE engine designation, but they have since replaced this with the FA20 name for BOTH Toyota and Subaru product. This, to give Subaru the credit for it's heritage and long-dedication to the flat-four development on other cars up to now. The FA20 is nothing like the previous long-stroking, boost capable engine that was the EJ or even the FB, but something entirely different other than it being laid out in a Subaru configuration. But with respect to the engineering know, and accommodating every previously inconceivable and traditionally unthinkable requests and goals Mr.Tada set on this engine, and the massive allocations and resources put into revisions on this to match the goals from every firm that collaborated, by complete internal design make-over, the engine is truly dedicated to this car, by everyone at Team 86 who worked on the FA20, folks at FHI should be extremely proud to take it further in development than any previous Subaru engine...

If Toyota or Subaru's normal wallet-checking, financiers, and other commercial or marketing motives had their way in any way, the even simple things like mirrors on the door would have come from a Camry or a Impreza, but this isn't the case. Every minute detail was asked to be original, and that of TEAM86 creation. Impossible was not the excuse for Tada-san and his team. They dug where no one had dug within both firms to come up with creative ideas and revolutionary skills...

As time goes and if I ever have a chance to meet them all, I'll revise and correct the associations for their names.

Each of the respective marketing entities and product divisions Subaru, Toyota, and Scion, do have their own direction in where, and what they want, and need to be doing, to appeal to the general mass for the creation of massive demands and healthy future of the product.

However, for a car this deeply intrinsic in nature and design, I think the ultimate marketing will come from us.

Yes, we are the ones who will be the most influential on this car, and to assure the future of long product life-cycle.

Therefore, I don't think we can postulate and infer casually, and act more in appreciation, excitement, and gratification, that such awesome creation has been put forth to consumers, and that we need to embrace it and breathe a life into the BRZ/FRS/86 to gather, share, and enjoy it...and influence those who do not understand the deep passion and design goals about this automobile.

It's really, nothing like anything we've come to see in the recent past. It is a car they catered pin-point to driving enthusiasts. As such, I am sure each of the three entities in product marketing are all just as curious to see what we DO with it, and how we ENJOY it, and how we spend out lives WITH it, perhaps more than themselves knowing what they should do with us. So show them, thrill them, involve them, and dictate to them how much you love the FT86 siblings.
It's OUR TURN to pour the passion!

What becomes of TEAM86 after this project?

they disband and start up their own rogue teams... Team 68, Team 69, Team 87. or new car company called Team 86.

they just continue to work on future models within their company.

great story! i wish they come out with a Team86 book or coffee table book that chronicles the project from start to finish. i'm pretty sure a lot of owners would want it.

That'd be a collectors item! I'll take it:happy0180:

Most of them are still hard at work, post-checking the product, partaking in races like Nurburgring VLN, creating accessories, helping with the marketing efforts, setting up new infrastructures like AREA86 dealerships, working with Polyphony Digital to integrate things, and generally all working towards the future assurance of participation and support for enthusiasts and 3rd party developments. :D

And working on the Convertible :thumbup:

Are you sure about this? It might be a different Okamoto-san, but I was looking at the "86 Development Story" article, which had this quote:

Another FT-86 fanboy bullet point: the chief engineer of the LFA engine worked on your car, and was the technical inspiration behind the decision to use D-4S.

Corrected. :D Thanks. (so many business cards on my desk...)

Oh and add K. Koganei too, for Translating that story from Japanese to English, that you read... :D

Possibly that too. :D None of them will say... LOL!