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Probably the reason they're looking at the GTI is to hopefully open the market a bit. There isn't a huge number of people specifically looking for a sporty RWD coupe, so if they want to move a bit more volume they need to look at people who would look at cars in slightly different segments.
They're not going to convince a soccer mum to buy the 86, but for the young professions who'd otherwise buy a relatively cheap Euro... maybe the 86 is something they'd consider. The Golf probably aligns with the markets that Toyota thinks they could steal a few sales from, especially given the infamous waiting period that they've amassed.
Remember that the majority of new car buyers generally don't care that much for cars beyond how they look. They don't care too much for driveline or method of induction, as long as driving it will make them look good. In some cases technical terms (turbo, AWD, symmetry, etc) are used as marketing stimuli without the buyer fully knowing what they mean. A salesman can say "turbo will give you power" or "all wheel drive makes your car safer in x condition", but do they explain how? Rarely. You can bet that these are the features they point out to friends they want to impress that have a similar level of knowledge in cars.
Still, looking good. Whatever helps bring the price down is cool with me.
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