[supra93]

Even before the latest-generation Toyota Supra premiered, there has been hopeful talk that a six-speed manual would soon be offered alongside the current eight-speed automatic.

Hopes were heightened last week following confirmation that the entry-level BMW Z4 sDrive20i in Europe with which the Supra shares its underpinnings will come standard with a manual.

While BMW has yet to say whether or not the six-cylinder variants of the Z4 could also get a stick shift, Automobile reached out to Toyota to see whether the release of a manual Z4 also means that a manual Supra is on the agenda.

“We may have heard a time or two (or more) that there’s a desire for a manual transmission in the Supra,” a Toyota spokesperson said. “However, we’re confident in the performance of the current setup . . . We feel it’s the optimal combination for the U.S. market at this time and we’re anxious for customers to drive the new Supra and experience it for themselves. We’ll be sure to check back into the conversation at that time and see what people have to say.”

Evidently, Toyota is thinking about offering the new Supra with a manual transmission but it doesn’t seem sold on the idea of such a model, at least not in the United States. We imagine that if the Supra does get a six-speed option, this transmission option would initially be rolled out to select markets, perhaps including Japan where Toyota knows the Supra has a strong cult following among hardcore driving enthusiasts.

https://www.carscoops.com/2019/05/to...d-on-the-idea/