Car owners who love extra performance will often explore getting more power via an air filter upgrade as it is commonly believed that a faster flowing air filter will yield more power. More air entering the engine at a faster speed does help improve combustion which in turn helps to increase power. However not all after market performance air filters live up to their expectations. Switching to after market performance air filters can yield up to 10hp for certain vehicles while others may yield only 1 or 2 hp. Turbo charged and super charged engines will benefit the most from higher flow air filters as forced induction needs fast flowing air supply. For naturally aspirated engines swapping to higher flow performance air filters will only yield at most 3hp as the nature of the engine can only benefit a limited amount of extra air.
When people talk about performance air filters most layman who knows a thing or two about car performance parts will know K&N. It is by far the most well known after market air filter brand in the world.
It is without a doubt good product but it is only good when it is brand new. Its concept of using a cotton based air filter is definitely better than the original factory fitted paper air filter which is not washable and is easily clogged. K&N air filters offer good filtration and coupled with the fact that it is made from cotton it is a lot more durable and last much longer than any paper air filter. The problem with K&N air filters come when you have to wash it and re-oil it. K&N uses oil to trap the finer particles of dust that the cotton filter may not trap. The oil has its advantages and disadvantages. Advantage is when the air filter is brand new, the oil is very effective in trapping dust and the oil is evenly applied at the factory. The big disadvantage is when you wash it and have to re-apply the oil which done by hand is extremely difficult to apply evenly. Lumps of oil will congregate at certain parts of the air filter and most people will apply too much oil which leads to blockage of the air filter and also over time it will foul up the air mass sensor.
Other variants of performance air filters are also available such as sponge or stainless steel. The famous sponge type air filter is available from HKS and Piper Cross. The sponge filters do not last as long as cotton as once it gets wet, it will break into tiny bits over time and enter the engine which can potentially cause problems to the engine.
The last variant is the stainless steel type which is far more durable than all other earlier types but is more expensive and needs regular cleaning for optimum performance. Stainless steel type of air filter is quite rare and only a small handful of manufacturers produce this type of air filter.
Air filter shape and design also plays a part in performance of the engine. A typical engine will usually have a flat panel air filter and after market suppliers offer cone or cylindrical type air filters. It is not guaranteed that upgrading to a cylindrical or cone type air filter will yield the necessary power gains as expected. For certain cars such as the VW Golf Gti, changing the original flat panel air filter to the cylindrical type will see power loss at low RPM as the absence of the air filter box means that when the throttle is open, there is no immediate air available and the air filter has to suck in air to feed the engine. This causes a lag and low end response suffers. The cylindrical type air filter in this case will only yield power gains at higher RPM.
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Wednesday, 18 July 2012
Tropicalization of cars
The climate conditions vary severely across the globe and car manufacturers previously made cars for specific countries based on their climate conditions without realizing that with globalization the cars do get exported out from the country where it was originally meant for sale in.
Cars made in Europe used to be designed for European climate which were cooler and dryer than sub tropical Asian countries where temperatures can exceed 40C and have humidity over 80%. The direct impact of exporting a car designed for the European climate to Asia meant that the cars were not able to function at its best. There were many examples of cases where the cars would over heat as the cooling system was not suitable for the sub tropical climate. The radiators were far too small and other components were not able to cope with the high humidity leading to premature failure. Some BMWs, Alfa Romeos and Audis that were imported to Asia from Germany or UK struggled to cope with the heat. Many of these cars could barely travel 100km across an Asian city without overheating.
Some interior components also started to fade and peel off as the coatings and linings were meant for dry climate conditions.
The car manufacturers only realized this in the late 1990s and started to do global scale testing during the development phase.
The global testing meant that the cars would be sent to the Artic circle for extreme cold weather testing, Arizona desert for extreme heat testing and also to sub tropical countries like Thailand for high humidity testing. The car manufacturer will produce standard specification cars that will allow it to be sold globally and would not risk premature component failure.
In Asian countries where heat and humidity is high, the other condition to take into consideration is traffic congestion. Traffic congestion means that the car would experience greater heat that normal as the car is not moving and very little air is passed through the radiator. The radiator fan and the cooling system has to be sufficient to cope with the high temperatures. Furthermore the air conditioner load on the engine also adds further stress.
The Asian weather also is notorious for thunder storms where huge volumes of rain water can suddenly appear in a very short space of time. The car's engine components also need to be able to cope with sudden changes in temperature from extreme heat over 40C and a sudden cooling to 24C. Components that are not designed to handle such sudden temperature changes will fail very quickly. The humidity aspect also play a huge impact on the electronics. It is extremely difficult to completely isolate electronic component from humidity.
Till today some car companies still struggle to truly tropicalize their cars and do sufficient aging tests to handle humidity. Humidity is a silent killer as the moisture slowly creeps into the components and premature aging will appear within 3 years instead of the intended 5 years.
Tropicalization is not just for car components but also tyres. Previously tyres from Europe struggled in extreme heat and humid conditions in Asia. Many started to blister after only 6 months of use.
Globalization means that almost everything can be sold and shipped across the globe easily, tropicalization has become very important aspect of car design and manufacturing.
Cars made in Europe used to be designed for European climate which were cooler and dryer than sub tropical Asian countries where temperatures can exceed 40C and have humidity over 80%. The direct impact of exporting a car designed for the European climate to Asia meant that the cars were not able to function at its best. There were many examples of cases where the cars would over heat as the cooling system was not suitable for the sub tropical climate. The radiators were far too small and other components were not able to cope with the high humidity leading to premature failure. Some BMWs, Alfa Romeos and Audis that were imported to Asia from Germany or UK struggled to cope with the heat. Many of these cars could barely travel 100km across an Asian city without overheating.
Some interior components also started to fade and peel off as the coatings and linings were meant for dry climate conditions.
The car manufacturers only realized this in the late 1990s and started to do global scale testing during the development phase.
The global testing meant that the cars would be sent to the Artic circle for extreme cold weather testing, Arizona desert for extreme heat testing and also to sub tropical countries like Thailand for high humidity testing. The car manufacturer will produce standard specification cars that will allow it to be sold globally and would not risk premature component failure.
In Asian countries where heat and humidity is high, the other condition to take into consideration is traffic congestion. Traffic congestion means that the car would experience greater heat that normal as the car is not moving and very little air is passed through the radiator. The radiator fan and the cooling system has to be sufficient to cope with the high temperatures. Furthermore the air conditioner load on the engine also adds further stress.
The Asian weather also is notorious for thunder storms where huge volumes of rain water can suddenly appear in a very short space of time. The car's engine components also need to be able to cope with sudden changes in temperature from extreme heat over 40C and a sudden cooling to 24C. Components that are not designed to handle such sudden temperature changes will fail very quickly. The humidity aspect also play a huge impact on the electronics. It is extremely difficult to completely isolate electronic component from humidity.
Till today some car companies still struggle to truly tropicalize their cars and do sufficient aging tests to handle humidity. Humidity is a silent killer as the moisture slowly creeps into the components and premature aging will appear within 3 years instead of the intended 5 years.
Tropicalization is not just for car components but also tyres. Previously tyres from Europe struggled in extreme heat and humid conditions in Asia. Many started to blister after only 6 months of use.
Globalization means that almost everything can be sold and shipped across the globe easily, tropicalization has become very important aspect of car design and manufacturing.
Sunday, 15 July 2012
Big brand tyres vs smaller brand tyres
Buying tyres can be a difficult task if you are on a budget and want to get the best for your money. Buying a branded tyre usually cost a lot more than less well known brands. The reason for this is the big brands invest heavily in motor sports sponsorship and their numerous marketing campaigns world wide. This indirectly effect the cost of the tyres. This was particularly evident for Michelin and Bridgestone when they were involved in Formula One. Motor sports is used as part of tyre development as well as marketing but the costs involved are trickled down to the consumer.
Buying famous brand tyres may not necessarily mean that you are buying the best. There have been cases where famous brands produce tyre models that are not as good as expected. The reason for this is unknown. An example is Michelin where their Pilot Sport Preceda 2 was a better performing tyre than the successor which was more expensive and based on driver feedback, they all preferred the Pilot Sport Preceda 2 for it outright grip in the wet and dry and steering feel.
Big brands such as Michelin, Pirelli, Bridgestone, Continental, Yokohama, Goodyear and Dunlop are now being challenged by smaller brands that offer similar quality and similar performance tyres for less money. Brands such as Kumho, Hankook, Federal, Maxxis, Cooper and GT Radial have all taken significant bites out of the market share of the big brands. This is especially so when the gloomy economic situation makes the consumers more conscious about their spending.
In a recent tyre review, the GT Radial HPY model out performed Yokohama, Falken and several other more established tyre brands in a series of tyre tests. The price of this tyre was 30% cheaper than the competing brands. This basically makes it a good choice as a replacement tyre with better performance at a cheaper price.
The price different between a big brand tyre versus a smaller brand can be as much as 50%. This has a direct impact on buyer's choice. The smaller brands have seen significant growth especially with the current economic situation more consumers are willing to try smaller brand tyres. Once they try the smaller brand tyres and find the performance acceptable the consumer is very likely to stay with the smaller brand as it offer better value for money. Saying this, it won't put big brand tyres out of business but on the replacement market the big brands will lose more and more market share to the smaller brands. The big brands will still take the lead as the OE tyre supplier to car manufacturers based on reputation and history.
Recently we have even seen owners of Mercedes Benz S-Class using tyres made by Nexen or Hankook. Changing to smaller brand tyres is no shame and it is by no means a poorer tyre choice. The technological difference is not as big as it once were. Many engineers from established tyre companies are often recruited by smaller tyres companies to learn trade secrets.
Die hard fans of certain brands will not change and will be loyal to specific brands based on historical experiences and brand pedigree.
Buying famous brand tyres may not necessarily mean that you are buying the best. There have been cases where famous brands produce tyre models that are not as good as expected. The reason for this is unknown. An example is Michelin where their Pilot Sport Preceda 2 was a better performing tyre than the successor which was more expensive and based on driver feedback, they all preferred the Pilot Sport Preceda 2 for it outright grip in the wet and dry and steering feel.
Big brands such as Michelin, Pirelli, Bridgestone, Continental, Yokohama, Goodyear and Dunlop are now being challenged by smaller brands that offer similar quality and similar performance tyres for less money. Brands such as Kumho, Hankook, Federal, Maxxis, Cooper and GT Radial have all taken significant bites out of the market share of the big brands. This is especially so when the gloomy economic situation makes the consumers more conscious about their spending.
In a recent tyre review, the GT Radial HPY model out performed Yokohama, Falken and several other more established tyre brands in a series of tyre tests. The price of this tyre was 30% cheaper than the competing brands. This basically makes it a good choice as a replacement tyre with better performance at a cheaper price.
The price different between a big brand tyre versus a smaller brand can be as much as 50%. This has a direct impact on buyer's choice. The smaller brands have seen significant growth especially with the current economic situation more consumers are willing to try smaller brand tyres. Once they try the smaller brand tyres and find the performance acceptable the consumer is very likely to stay with the smaller brand as it offer better value for money. Saying this, it won't put big brand tyres out of business but on the replacement market the big brands will lose more and more market share to the smaller brands. The big brands will still take the lead as the OE tyre supplier to car manufacturers based on reputation and history.
Recently we have even seen owners of Mercedes Benz S-Class using tyres made by Nexen or Hankook. Changing to smaller brand tyres is no shame and it is by no means a poorer tyre choice. The technological difference is not as big as it once were. Many engineers from established tyre companies are often recruited by smaller tyres companies to learn trade secrets.
Die hard fans of certain brands will not change and will be loyal to specific brands based on historical experiences and brand pedigree.
Lexus, Infiniti and Acura
Many of us today know of Japanese luxury car brands such as Lexus, Infiniti and Acura. These 3 luxury brands were created by Toyota, Nissan and Honda respectively in the attempt to move their cars further up the luxury chain in the US. Toyota did a good job marketing Lexus in the US making it the top luxury brand in the US for more than 10 years straight. Nissan and Honda followed a few years later with their Infiniti and Acura brands with decent success.
The question I always wonder is whether the extra sticker price really justifiable. In Japan the Lexus brand was not introduced until 2005, it took the Japanese market some time to really accept the Lexus brand as a premium brand of cars. The Japanese public always viewed Toyota as just a ordinary car marque without the luxury tag. With the introduction of the Lexus brand Toyota took the extra step to create a luxurious image for themselves.
Toyota has always been regarded as a car manufacturer that produced reliable cars with solid residual value but did not create any luxury brand value to make their brand sought after. However, in the eyes of a avid motoring fan the Lexus brand is no doubt a luxury brand but it is also regarded as nothing more than a better built Toyota with more functions and features. This the same for Infiniti and Acura. A classic example is how a Toyota Celsior in Japan is actually the same as the Lexus LS430. The build quality is similar and the functions are also almost the same. Why would you want to pay more for a different badge?! Shouldn't the cars be better built in the first place?
This is similar for the Nissan Fuga in Japan is the same as the Infiniti M35 but with a different badge. I somehow cannot get over the fact that some people are willing to pay extra for the Infiniti badge!
Are these companies taking the consumers for a ride? Merely changing the badge on the car and hiking up the selling price does not sound like making the car a luxury car.
I firmly believe when selling a luxury car, the car ought to be developed from ground up rather than just a rebadging job. Toyota, Nissan and Acura can easily develop models for their Lexus, Infiniti and Acura that look completely different and also developed from the ground up which can then be firmly regarded as a true luxury model worthy of the luxury badge.
Motoring journalists (those with true honest opinions) have not given any glowing reviews for any models (apart from the Lexus LFA which is on a totally different league as most people cannot afford to buy one) from Lexus, Infiniti and Acura as they all know that these cars are ordinary models with a different badge.
The question I always wonder is whether the extra sticker price really justifiable. In Japan the Lexus brand was not introduced until 2005, it took the Japanese market some time to really accept the Lexus brand as a premium brand of cars. The Japanese public always viewed Toyota as just a ordinary car marque without the luxury tag. With the introduction of the Lexus brand Toyota took the extra step to create a luxurious image for themselves.
Toyota has always been regarded as a car manufacturer that produced reliable cars with solid residual value but did not create any luxury brand value to make their brand sought after. However, in the eyes of a avid motoring fan the Lexus brand is no doubt a luxury brand but it is also regarded as nothing more than a better built Toyota with more functions and features. This the same for Infiniti and Acura. A classic example is how a Toyota Celsior in Japan is actually the same as the Lexus LS430. The build quality is similar and the functions are also almost the same. Why would you want to pay more for a different badge?! Shouldn't the cars be better built in the first place?
This is similar for the Nissan Fuga in Japan is the same as the Infiniti M35 but with a different badge. I somehow cannot get over the fact that some people are willing to pay extra for the Infiniti badge!
Are these companies taking the consumers for a ride? Merely changing the badge on the car and hiking up the selling price does not sound like making the car a luxury car.
I firmly believe when selling a luxury car, the car ought to be developed from ground up rather than just a rebadging job. Toyota, Nissan and Acura can easily develop models for their Lexus, Infiniti and Acura that look completely different and also developed from the ground up which can then be firmly regarded as a true luxury model worthy of the luxury badge.
Motoring journalists (those with true honest opinions) have not given any glowing reviews for any models (apart from the Lexus LFA which is on a totally different league as most people cannot afford to buy one) from Lexus, Infiniti and Acura as they all know that these cars are ordinary models with a different badge.
Thursday, 5 July 2012
Mid model life cycle face lifts
These days it is very common to hear that a car company is face lifting a particular model mid way through the model life cycle. The usual model life cycle for Japanese model is about 5 years and for European models is 7 years. Usually mid way through the model life cycle approximate 3 years after the initial introduction of the model, the car will receive some sort of alteration.
The usual alterations are as follows:-
- cosmetic changes to the bumpers, head lights, tail lights
- tweaks in the ECU for more power (not all car companies do this)
- minor changes in the interior (maybe colour tone or upgrade in audio system)
- addition of Day Time Running LED lights (seems like everyone is copying Audi)
- change in wheel design
- upgrade of ECU program to eliminate earlier bugs
- alteration of traction control system (rarely happens)
The objective of having a mid model life cycle face lift is to freshen the look and remind the consumers that the car is now newer looking. The plan is to attract back the buyers to the showroom. Nearly all car companies just do cosmetic facelifts as this is much easier to do and it isn't expensive in terms of development cost. Most car companies they have already planned their mid model life cycle when they launch the car, some will even have ready ECU program upgrades to increase performance just to make the face lifted model more exciting and interesting. Competition in the car market is very fierce and once the car model starts to look old and newer models are introduced by competitors, the car companies have to think ahead to capture back the sales.
A car is like any other product, it will start to look old or dated when something new is introduced. Keeping up with the competition is always a difficult task.
It is rare to see a car company face lift their car models twice but in the case of Peugeot, that just happened. Underneath the cosmetic changes the car model is still the same.
Another company that also did two face lifts during the model life cycle was Nissan (Tan chong in Malaysia) which did it for the old Nissan Sentra. This model was first introduced around year 2000 and has gone through more than 1 face lift. This same model is still current available for sale making it one of the longest running model on sale in Malaysia. The question why this model is still for sales after so many years is down to the distributor's aim to maximise their returns on assembly line capital investment. Doing multiple facelifts over a long production period could mean two things. 1. the model is very boring and old; 2. the model is practically bug free since the model has been in production so long that any and every possible bug has been rectified.
The usual alterations are as follows:-
- cosmetic changes to the bumpers, head lights, tail lights
- tweaks in the ECU for more power (not all car companies do this)
- minor changes in the interior (maybe colour tone or upgrade in audio system)
- addition of Day Time Running LED lights (seems like everyone is copying Audi)
- change in wheel design
- upgrade of ECU program to eliminate earlier bugs
- alteration of traction control system (rarely happens)
The objective of having a mid model life cycle face lift is to freshen the look and remind the consumers that the car is now newer looking. The plan is to attract back the buyers to the showroom. Nearly all car companies just do cosmetic facelifts as this is much easier to do and it isn't expensive in terms of development cost. Most car companies they have already planned their mid model life cycle when they launch the car, some will even have ready ECU program upgrades to increase performance just to make the face lifted model more exciting and interesting. Competition in the car market is very fierce and once the car model starts to look old and newer models are introduced by competitors, the car companies have to think ahead to capture back the sales.
A car is like any other product, it will start to look old or dated when something new is introduced. Keeping up with the competition is always a difficult task.
Peugeot 308 - first face lift
Peugeot 308 - second face lift
It is rare to see a car company face lift their car models twice but in the case of Peugeot, that just happened. Underneath the cosmetic changes the car model is still the same.
Another company that also did two face lifts during the model life cycle was Nissan (Tan chong in Malaysia) which did it for the old Nissan Sentra. This model was first introduced around year 2000 and has gone through more than 1 face lift. This same model is still current available for sale making it one of the longest running model on sale in Malaysia. The question why this model is still for sales after so many years is down to the distributor's aim to maximise their returns on assembly line capital investment. Doing multiple facelifts over a long production period could mean two things. 1. the model is very boring and old; 2. the model is practically bug free since the model has been in production so long that any and every possible bug has been rectified.
Monday, 2 July 2012
Collaboration between Toyota and BMW
This new announced collaboration between Toyota and BMW is an interesting one but I see Toyota benefiting more than BMW.
Here are the reasons:
- Toyota will be able to get hold BMW's awesome turbo diesel technology
- Toyota will learn BMW's engine down sizing technology
- Toyota will learn BMW's suspension setup and chassis technology
Toyota currently does not have the best turbo diesel engine for passenger cars and this has an impact on their sales in Europe where more than 50% of new cars sold are turbo diesel. Acquiring this technology will enable Toyota to have better market penetration in Europe.
All these technology from BMW are currently at the forefront of automotive engineering. It is not that Toyota is unable to develop similar technology but by collaborating with BMW they can short cut the development time and learn from the industry leader of such technology.
BMW will benefit in some ways by collaborating with Toyota if not they wouldn't collaborate.
Here are some of the potential areas they can benefit:
- BMW can learn about Toyota's small car and compact engine technology
- gain better understanding of Toyota's hybrid technology
Ultimately the collaboration is aimed at lowering development cost of new engines and new technology.
In the previous case of BMW's collaboration with Peugeot, the one that benefited the most was Peugeot as the 1.6 Prince engine co-developed by both companies were used in more Peugeot models than BMW models. BMW only used it for the Mini and the 116i model while Peugeot used the same engine for their 308, 408, 508, 3008, 5008 and RCZ.
Here are the reasons:
- Toyota will be able to get hold BMW's awesome turbo diesel technology
- Toyota will learn BMW's engine down sizing technology
- Toyota will learn BMW's suspension setup and chassis technology
Toyota currently does not have the best turbo diesel engine for passenger cars and this has an impact on their sales in Europe where more than 50% of new cars sold are turbo diesel. Acquiring this technology will enable Toyota to have better market penetration in Europe.
All these technology from BMW are currently at the forefront of automotive engineering. It is not that Toyota is unable to develop similar technology but by collaborating with BMW they can short cut the development time and learn from the industry leader of such technology.
BMW will benefit in some ways by collaborating with Toyota if not they wouldn't collaborate.
Here are some of the potential areas they can benefit:
- BMW can learn about Toyota's small car and compact engine technology
- gain better understanding of Toyota's hybrid technology
Ultimately the collaboration is aimed at lowering development cost of new engines and new technology.
In the previous case of BMW's collaboration with Peugeot, the one that benefited the most was Peugeot as the 1.6 Prince engine co-developed by both companies were used in more Peugeot models than BMW models. BMW only used it for the Mini and the 116i model while Peugeot used the same engine for their 308, 408, 508, 3008, 5008 and RCZ.
Redefining the sports car
Toyota has traditionally been known to be a conservative car maker being famous for making very safe but boring cars such as the Toyota Camry, Toyota Corolla Altis and rugged Hilux models. Toyota left a long gap between sports car models such the MRS which was not really considered a true sports cars as it did not have the real performance nor the handling that sports car enthusiasts were looking for.
After almost 10 years since the last Supra rolled off the production line, Toyota finally introduced the GT86 which created quite a stir in the motoring industry. This is especially so when most car makers were obsessed with power and speed. The average new sports car now comes with 300hp or more and is capable of 0-100km/h in under 5 seconds. Toyota went back to the roots of sports car dynamics and made a car that made everyone remember how a real sports car is suppose to be like. Light weight, nimble, good handling, and sufficient power to have fun with.
The new GT86 is all that with good handling, sufficient power and have the correct front engine rear drive layout to enable the drive to get the tail out to have some serious fun. This car plugs the gap between the Mazda MX-5 and more powerful sports cars. The Mazda MX-5 have gotten a bit too large and too heavy as its dimension kept growing with the introduction of each new model. For the GT 86 some might argue that the car needs more power since it only has 197hp which is relatively low for a sports car in this current era. However with a low body weight the 197hp is sufficient to have fun with. For those who want more power there are always tuning kits from Japan which have already emerged.
The GT86 also filled a void where there were no sports car model in the Toyota stable for the mass market. Their next sports car, well actually a super car was the Lexus LFA which is cost more than 10 times more than the GT86 and is out of reach for 90% of the population. Making an affordable and simple sports car makes good sense for a time like this where people still want to buy a sports car but do not want to shell out over US$50,000 for it.
In the Malaysian context, selling this car may be an uphill battle for Toyota as the pricing (after tax) is not in their favour. At RM243,000 (for the manual version), it is competing in the same league as the VW Scirocco 2.0 Turbo, VW Golf R, Renault Megane, Civic Type R, Subaru Impreza STi and of course a used Porsche Cayman S (2006 model). All these cars offer more power and torque. I believe the GT86 will be reserved for a selected few who are true enthusiasts.
After almost 10 years since the last Supra rolled off the production line, Toyota finally introduced the GT86 which created quite a stir in the motoring industry. This is especially so when most car makers were obsessed with power and speed. The average new sports car now comes with 300hp or more and is capable of 0-100km/h in under 5 seconds. Toyota went back to the roots of sports car dynamics and made a car that made everyone remember how a real sports car is suppose to be like. Light weight, nimble, good handling, and sufficient power to have fun with.
The new GT86 is all that with good handling, sufficient power and have the correct front engine rear drive layout to enable the drive to get the tail out to have some serious fun. This car plugs the gap between the Mazda MX-5 and more powerful sports cars. The Mazda MX-5 have gotten a bit too large and too heavy as its dimension kept growing with the introduction of each new model. For the GT 86 some might argue that the car needs more power since it only has 197hp which is relatively low for a sports car in this current era. However with a low body weight the 197hp is sufficient to have fun with. For those who want more power there are always tuning kits from Japan which have already emerged.
The GT86 also filled a void where there were no sports car model in the Toyota stable for the mass market. Their next sports car, well actually a super car was the Lexus LFA which is cost more than 10 times more than the GT86 and is out of reach for 90% of the population. Making an affordable and simple sports car makes good sense for a time like this where people still want to buy a sports car but do not want to shell out over US$50,000 for it.
In the Malaysian context, selling this car may be an uphill battle for Toyota as the pricing (after tax) is not in their favour. At RM243,000 (for the manual version), it is competing in the same league as the VW Scirocco 2.0 Turbo, VW Golf R, Renault Megane, Civic Type R, Subaru Impreza STi and of course a used Porsche Cayman S (2006 model). All these cars offer more power and torque. I believe the GT86 will be reserved for a selected few who are true enthusiasts.
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