Quote:
Originally Posted by AnalogMan
You're absolutely right. With a NA engine and lower price (and less power and slower performance than the Supra), the BRZ/86 is exactly that. An entry level inexpensive sports car.
With a turbo, a $10k+ higher price, and power and performance similar to the Supra, it's no longer an entry level sports car. Then it would be an alternative to the Supra, a quasi-peer, and Toyota wouldn't want to divide the market for an upscale sports car between two cars (because it wouldn't make as much money as leaving it all to one car). With a NA engine the BRZ/86 are in a different market segment than the Supra. With a turbo, they would be too close to each other.
Toyota is a highly financially driven company. Decisions are all about the business case. A turbo BRZ (or even turbo option) might be great for Subaru, but it wouldn't make business sense for Toyota.
The 800 lb gorilla usually gets what it wants.
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Neither of these is a profit margin vehicle. Either way they make a sale even if 86 was the same performance and trim quality.
No doubt that maintaining the distinction between the two is one of a long list of reasons to keep it NA but it is not likely to be near the top.