Toyota to make cars fun again
12-11-2011, 11:30 AM
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Toyota to make cars fun again
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16048585
This article is a good example of my view on Toyota as a bureaucratic, only interested in sales, engineering > aesthetic car company (like Honda!), managers > designers. Its designs of the last decade are hideous. Despite this article, the FT-86/Subaru BRZ is a coincidental experiment rather than their true identity. A lot of their restructuring ideas sound like what Hyundai has been doing for years now, for example being transparent and more open to their customers, or letting European designers design cars for their own continents.
This article is a good example of my view on Toyota as a bureaucratic, only interested in sales, engineering > aesthetic car company (like Honda!), managers > designers. Its designs of the last decade are hideous. Despite this article, the FT-86/Subaru BRZ is a coincidental experiment rather than their true identity. A lot of their restructuring ideas sound like what Hyundai has been doing for years now, for example being transparent and more open to their customers, or letting European designers design cars for their own continents.
12-12-2011, 06:17 PM
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If looking like an enthusiast will make more sales, of course he is on it!
Don't be fooled. The FT-86 is still pretty cool though.
Don't be fooled. The FT-86 is still pretty cool though.
12-12-2011, 06:27 PM
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Vehicle: Two Accents, Mini, Miata, Van, Outback, and a ZX-6
I am seriously considering a Scion FRS. As of right now it is at the top of my list, pending a test drive. Still a year or more out though. Gotta sell some cars.
12-12-2011, 09:13 PM
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If looking like an enthusiast will make more sales, of course he is on it!
it's impossible to get rid of a bureaucratic system once it's already in place.
Floyd don't forget the Subaru version is coming too.
it still looks ugly. for a car this ideal, it should look better, more distinctive. and it's very tiny, looks like it has less interior space than the Tiburon.
i watched the whole press release. they emphasized a lot of things the RD1 Tiburon already had 16 years ago, like being proud of fold down rear seats (for fitting golf clubs and drift tires)
12-12-2011, 10:27 PM
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HKC is probably the biggest diehard RD fan I've yet come across 
It pains me to say it, but I like it. It weighs ~2600 lbs though, it would be cool to get that down to the 2100-2200 range
It pains me to say it, but I like it. It weighs ~2600 lbs though, it would be cool to get that down to the 2100-2200 range
12-12-2011, 11:26 PM
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Yeah, lighter would be better. It is very tough to get down to even 2600 lbs now though with modern safety equipment. That's about the weight of the RD isn't it?
HKC, it's smaller than a Civic in every dimension. It's small size is one of the main things I like about it. But if practicality is a concern it probably isn't a great choice unless you're cross shopping something like a Miata.
After reading road test reviews and further details it sounds like the Subie is actually going to be softer and more luxurious than the Scion version. Also more expensive.
HKC, it's smaller than a Civic in every dimension. It's small size is one of the main things I like about it. But if practicality is a concern it probably isn't a great choice unless you're cross shopping something like a Miata.
After reading road test reviews and further details it sounds like the Subie is actually going to be softer and more luxurious than the Scion version. Also more expensive.
12-13-2011, 06:04 AM
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HKC is probably the biggest diehard RD fan I've yet come across
I think I am too, unfortunately. Still love it as much as the first day but somehow I wish I had kept mine factory so I could look more mature. I was 17 when I got it. I'm almost 27 now.
HKC, it's smaller than a Civic in every dimension. It's small size is one of the main things I like about it. But if practicality is a concern it probably isn't a great choice unless you're cross shopping something like a Miata.
I agree. It's a good size but any car that small, that expensive ($25,000) is questionable. And also nowadays every car is big, even the small ones. I think the smaller the car, the more laughed at it is these days than a decade+ ago.
