The 2.0 people were also hoping for a manual.
Chatter on the net was there were a number of big Toyota executives in North America that opposed the 2.0 B48 for our market. I believe because of the halo flagship image and the mindset of bigger is better. The 2.0 was mainly developed for markets with high gas prices, tougher emission standards, engine displacement tax etc. None of which really applies to us. However, since the U.S. failed to meet their 2019 sales goal it appears that the big heads in Japan force their hand. IMO, I think the lower than expect sales had more to do with dealer mark ups then anything. If Toyota was disappointed in 2019 3.0 sales, just wait and see how abysmal sales of a stripped down auto only $43k 2.0 Zupra will be.
