[raven1231]

Originally Posted by abraxis

Prove it. I've followed this car from it's inception and have never seen any Toyota Japan exec of rep mention the Camaro or Mustang in anything. Maybe you overheard a Scion valet talking out his ass at some point by accident. Toyota knows very well it has no chance or desire to compete with cheap push-rod led sleds favored by dixie boyz. Toyota could make the best Mustang ever and almost nobody would buy it because it's Japanese or says Toyota on it. You'd have to be inane to think you could compete with that market as a foreigner. Dodge already has enough trouble doing that and it has a more 'attractive' nameplate for that market.

They have always planned for a cheaper car under the 86 as well as a more expensive one over it. This is nothing new and has nothing to do with your speculation about market reactions or poor planning. Toyoda wanted to make a cheap sports car because it's in his DNA. Period. He did it despite resistance from Subaru initially because he has huevos. This is fact, not fiction. You sound like you've been reading a little too much Left Lane News.

So yeah, people can rail against Toyota the appliance maker all they want, but GM and Nissan have pussied out of this market. Only Mazda and (maybe) Honda are left.

Honestly, I'm not even sure WTH market Nissan does well in these days at all.