Lack of Manual Transmission Option in New Toyota Supra Causes Angry Moods

Debates on the future of manual transmissions in the time of auto industry automation do not go off. In the pursuit of profit, major carmakers often give preference to more popular automatic transmissions. However, it does not always have the desired effect. For example, the recently presented 2020 Toyota Supra, equipped with the 8-speed automatic transmission (only!) received a lot of mixed reviews.

It’s not a secret that the new Toyota Supra was designed in partnership with BMW, thus you can easily notice the similarity to the new BMW Z4 model. Both cars are based on the same platform, but they also have many different features typical for each brand.

BMW Z4 and Toyota Supra look like brothers

However, the new Toyota was criticized by Toyota fans for taking too much from BMW. But the fact that the company did not provide the new Supra version with a manual transmission was especially disappointing.

Undoubtedly, the 2020 Toyota Supra equipped with the ZF 8-speed automatic transmission (with paddle shifters) has some performance advantages – smoother gear shifting and better ratios. But for many admirers of Toyota cars the manual option is a must for an enjoyable drive. Moreover, it is well-known that the Toyota engineers were working on the manual option for Supra. Therefore, the fact that only the automatic version is available raised a lot of questions.

Take a look inside the new 2020 Toyota Supra

Tetsuya Tada, the chief engineer of the 2020 Toyota Supra, said in the Detroit Auto Show interview that it is too early to give up on prospects of the manual transmission for Supra. Tada emphasized that currently Toyota offers the Toyota 86 equipped with the manual transmission and the company wants to focus on support of the 86. He also did not deny that Toyota engineers did some work on the manual option for Supra. Moreover, he said that the development process does not stop with the official release of the car. Lastly, Tetsuya Tada said that he knows about the internet movement in favor of a stick-shifter for Supra and eventually the demand will do its job. It may seem like a silver lining for supporters of manuals.

2020 Toyota Supra at 2019 Detroit Auto Show

It is also interesting to note that one of the BMW officials assured admirers of the BMW modes with manuals that the company will certainly include manual options for its new M4.