Top Gear interview with Tada-san and Sasaki-san

[Aki]

Originally Posted by Johnp

"Of course," notes Sasaki-san, "rear-engined, rear-driven cars - and even mid-ship designs - are OK. But if you want to make an enjoyable sports car, it should be front-engined, rear-drive.

Could anyone please elaborate on what he means by this?

It's because of the weight distribution. Mid-engine or rear engine cars typically have more weight in the rear. FR cars are typically heavier up front, which helps as far as getting the tail loose. The FR-S for example doesn't have a 50-50 distribution because they wanted to have the tail break/rotate easier. Personally I think FR is easier to control when the tail comes out than MR or RR too.

[Johnp]

Originally Posted by Aki

It's because of the weight distribution. Mid-engine or rear engine cars typically have more weight in the rear. FR cars are typically heavier up front, which helps as far as getting the tail loose. The FR-S for example doesn't have a 50-50 distribution because they wanted to have the tail break/rotate easier. Personally I think FR is easier to control when the tail comes out than MR or RR too.

So what they mean by "fun" is "getting the tail out" ?
Would you say FR layout is easier to control than MR/RR (within and beyond the limit of grip) ?
If they wanted to have the tail break easier, shouldn't they have put the engine further up to the front like a FR rather than FMR as it is now?

Thanks for the insight.

[texas2888]

Originally Posted by indesign

"With my next sportscar," explains Tada-san, "I want to make a big... ‘wow'." His arms gesticulate large vortex circles. "Nobody expected us to build something like the GT 86. I want to give the world a shock."

- Tada-san, Toyota Chief Engineer

I think that's a very exciting quote from the interview. Obviously the big splash made from the GT86 is increasing the chances of green-lighting new sports car projects from Toyota.

I really appreciate this interview. It seems that Tada-san was able to get his design to come into fruition by overcoming many critics from within Toyota. He challenged the modern ideas of what a sports car needs (number based statistics) and presented a design that offered substance and soul. And from a design standpoint, that's the sweet spot. That's the reason people buy abstract art, or any art for that matter.. for big bucks. Except in our case, the FRS/BRZ/GT86 is the affordable gem any petrol head can afford.

Wow, maybe you should be writing articles. That was very well said!!!

[Aki]

Originally Posted by Johnp

If they wanted to have the tail break easier, shouldn't they have put the engine further up to the front like a FR rather than FMR as it is now?

Because tail breaking easier is fun only to a certain point. If it's too front heavy then you can't control the tail well, and you can get un-fun characteristics like snap oversteer.

[vh_supra26]

The Toyota GT86 or Scion FR-S as it’s known on our shores may just be the best new sports car in a generation, but it certainly won’t be the last of its kind. According to chief engineer Tetsuya Tada, the FR-S is just the first of three planned sports cars by the world’s largest automaker.

Speaking to Top Gear in the Philippines, Tada not only confirmed that two more cars are coming, but let slip details about where they will fit in in the Toyota lineup.

Surprisingly, as impressive a performance bargain as the FR-S is, it will fill the middle slot in the brand’s new sports car lineup.

“The first is more mass-market and cheaper than the 86,” Tada said. And the third, well, it’s, “more upmarket than the 86.”

Early rumors of the GT86/FR-S has the car positioned as vehicle priced right around $20,000. It’s thought that the rising value of the Japanese yen resulted in the higher eventual cost, though perhaps this even more budget-oriented sports car is yet to come.

Tada would not confirm is the higher performance model would be a successor to the Supra, though what we do know from previous comments is that its next-gen halo sports car for the brand won’t be a hybrid.

[Source: TopGear]

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2...-engineer.html

[vh_supra26]

We sat down with Toyota 86 chief engineer Tetsuya Tada during an international media event for the groundbreaking compact RWD sports car, and he shared with us some of his company's future product plans. According to Tada, the 86 is just the first of three sports cars that Toyota is planning to roll out, and that the 86 is the middle of the two in terms of market positioning.

"The first is more mass-market and cheaper than the 86," Tada revealed. "And the third is more upmarket than the 86."

When asked if the higher-end sports car is the successor to the Supra, Tada said it could possibly be but that nothing is sure yet since his team is still in the process of conceptualizing the two other Toyota sports cars. He also noted that it takes five years to develop a sports car from conceptualization to production, as compared with the three years it normally takes to develop a regular vehicle.

Prior to the 86, Toyota's last sports car in production was the MR-S.

If you had a choice, which Toyota sports car would you like to be revived? Take our poll.

http://www.topgear.com.ph/news/toyot...his-Weeks-Poll

[switchlanez]

^I voted for MR2/MR-S in that poll then found out it had the least votes lol

[TRBO2NR]

Just the idea of a new Supra brings chills to my spine! I love mine and would love to try something similar but modern! =)

[hippari]

I'd love for a return of the Celica GT-4. Too bad when most people think Celica now they think 8000RPM and FWD instead of AWD and turbo.

They should axe the current TC, make a Scion TC-4 and have the lame FWD N/A trim at the current TC price point and the mean Turbo AWD version at like ~$36K.

It'd still leave room for a Supra successor at GT-R prices. I've always felt that was supposed to be the SC430's job, but I guess 300hp ain't what it used to be when sports cars cheaper than the FR-S are already past that.

[vh_supra26]

I can't wait for a new Supra

[fistpoint]

What happened here?:

"Part of its dynamic excellence stems from Tada-san's philosophy of putting the driver back in control. Despite a background in chassis control systems - think DSC and ABS and such - he was adamant that the new 86 have no electronic nannies helping out the driver. "Toyota is obviously very closely associated with safety," Tada-san says, mutedly, "but we were very clear our new sports car would not have any driver aids. When I first told people about this in Toyota, they thought I was crazy. Really crazy!" He bursts out into a loud, rumbling, manic laugh. No, Tada-san, of course you're not crazy..."

The car does have electronic nannies, what happened?

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by fistpoint

....The car does have electronic nannies, what happened?

I think the "compromise" was you can totally disable them. You cannot do that in all cars.

[vh_supra26]

SINGAPORE - The radical new Toyota 86 compact coupé is only the first of three new sports car line-ups that the Japanese carmaker is planning as part of a new business model that seeks to create a bond with buyers.

"The 86 is in the middle but we don't know when the other two will be ready," says Tetsuya Tada, the chief engineer of the 86, the first sports car for the Japanese giant carmaker in recent history.

A lightweight 2+2 model, the 86 has a 2.0-litre horizontally opposed engine in front to drive the rear wheels in classic fashion.

Mr Tada continues: "The 86 needed five years to develop, so at least five years is required for the others. A normal passenger car about two to three years. But sports cars need special parts, so it's five years."

Also not determined is whether the other two cars will be coupés or convertibles, or if they will have different engine/drive layouts "because technology changes, so we have to find the best layout".

So it is entirely possible that one of the line-ups could have a mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout like the discontinued two-seater MR2 (also called the MR-S in its final iteration).

But one thing is certain - the higher-end sports model is likely to be introduced before the entry-level car.

Mr Tada explains with a smile: "The president (Akio Toyoda) has asked me to make a successor to the Supra as soon as possible." The chief engineer was speaking in Germany at the recent launch of the Toyota 86 Experience to highlight the model's sporty abilities.

"The 86 was not conceived for pure speed but for driving pleasure," he explains.

It was inspired by the AE86 Levin of 1983, the original lightweight Toyota coupé which also happened to be Mr Tada's first car when he joined the firm.

It also has the ability to be extensively customised as per owner's wishes.

"The philosophy of the 86 is that it is an open concept," says Mr Tada.

The conventional way is for the carmaker to produce a car and call it perfect, which means the users don't have to or can't do anything else.

For example, if the rims and tyres are changed, the manufacturer's warranty is void.

Instead, the 86 was created as a car with the potential to change into something the customer wants it to be.

"Why? Because if you ask 100 people what you think of the car, you will get 100 answers. They all have different views," he said.

Hence the open concept, which will satisfy customers because the car evolves with them and make 100 people's dreams come true.

Taking it one step further, Toyota has even made Playstation integration possible.

A black box can record a track day session, and the telemetry downloaded to be played back and shared with other gamers on their Sony Playstation consoles. As a result, the addition of a turbo or supercharger can be simulated to see how it will enhance the naturally aspirated 86's performance.

So far, the success of the 86 has been a surprise, not least of all for rivals Nissan and Honda.

"They realise from the 86's sales that they have to go back to this kind of car. If everybody goes back to their roots, everyone can have a one-make race," says the former racer.

He reveals that Toyota wants to make sports cars again because "it is a very important strategy".

"We have two pillars - an ecological car and driving fun. We must balance these two aims otherwise users won't recognise us a true carmaker."

But Mr Tada notes that the mass production of sports cars has ceased to be a conventional business.

After the financial crisis of 2009, Toyota realised that it could no longer sell cars to dealers to make money because "the car population (was) not going to increase in future".

"So this is a new business model. When customers buy a car, it creates a new bond between the manufacturer and the owner - we do not just profit from selling the car," he said.

http://www.asiaone.com/Motoring/News...01-380919.html

[vh_supra26]

Two more sports cars planned by the Japanese automaker with FR-S/GT86 to sit in the middle.

If you're a fan of the Scion FR-S (aka Toyota GT86 or Subaru BRZ), then you'll be thrilled with the latest news from Top Gear. Speaking with FR-S chief engineer Tetsuya Tada at an international media event in the Philippines, Top Gear discovered that the nimble little sportscar is just the first of a trio Toyota has planned. While you might expect that to translate to two more upscale models, the GT86 will actually ultimately emerge in the middle of the sportscar trifecta.

"The first is more mass-market and cheaper than the 86," Tada revealed. "And the third is more upmarket than the 86." Still in the conceptualization stage, the pair of new Toyota sports cars are five years from production, with the higher-end model potentially to stand as the successor to the Supra. The lower-end model could take up the place of the MR2, but likely not with a mid-engine layout. With the FR-S sold in the United States as a Scion and the LFA as a Lexus, the jury's still out on which brand the pair will be marketed under, though.

http://www.carbuzz.com/news/2012/10/...scars-7711091/