How much does this really matter? I feel like Tesla is strong in the market because they figured out how to market an EV as a sports car. Toyota was never going to do that.
It probably doesn’t matter. There are plenty of people who want simpler cars, but still want an electric drive train. There must be loads of us holding out for a Corolla or Camry like EV.
I don’t understand why Toyota has not produced a model like this and is doubling down on their Hybrids and hydrogen engines.
In the US it was the experience I think. Just like Uber in some markets where taxis were a shitty experience before, buying a car was (apparently) a crappy experience in the US before Tesla. But that's a very local phenomenon. Not sure about the sports car thing though. It's not much difference between a Model Y and a Mach-E or Polestar2 when it comes to this. Tesla did have the performance angle because they were early movers and compared to an ICE car their entire lineup is obviously looking pretty snappy.
Most buyers though just want a boring reliable car. If a known and Trusted brand made a car that was just 10% more expensive and 10% less attractive on specs than a Tesla, then Toyota would eat their lunch I think.
Toyota's sports cars actually show pretty well at how adverse they are to making them.
The Supra has a BMW engine, a BMW gearbox and a BMW interior with a BMW infotainment system, while the Toyota 86 is a joint project between Toyota and Subaru, with a Subaru engine and built in Subaru's plant.
They’re definitely Toyota cars but not really sports cars. They’re just hot versions of the Corolla and Yaris, which are definitely not sports cars. Unless we also define the Tesla Model S Plaid, BMW M3 and the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG as sports cars.
The Yaris GR is not a hot version of the Yaris. It's designed as a homologation special with a new chasis (there's no regular 3 door Yaris) and engine. Calling it a hot yaris is a bit like calling the Renault 5 Turbo a hot Renault 5.
The Corolla is closer to a hot Corolla as it uses the same chasis.
An electric Toyota Supra would easily outsell most Tesla's. It's a much nicer looking car than anything I've seen come from Tesla, the interior is so well done too.
The Toyota Supra looks nice but it only holds 2 people and has no cargo capacity. Sports cars like that will always be low-volume niche products regardless of whether they're electric or not.
