Toyota Supra 2020: No manual variants & other related news

Updated Apr 08, 2021 | Same topic: Automotive Industry Updates

In an interview, the Toyota Supra's chief engineer breaks out the news that they're not planning on building a manual variant for the Supra 2020.

1. Toyota Supra 2020: No manual or convertible variants

Back when the new Toyota Supra 2019 was announced, especially in the Philippines, a good number of car enthusiasts and Toyota fans waited with bated breath as to how the latest variant of the now legendary Supra name will turn out in terms of power, styling, and specs, specifically if there was going to be a manual version or not.

Many long-time followers, owners, and fans of the said vehicle, of course, had optimistically expected a manual in lieu of how the Supra was popular with enthusiasts.

In a recent interview with the Supra’s chief engineer Tetsuya Tada where they revealed several future plans for the vehicle, it has been revealed that Toyota has no plans whatsoever to make and sell a Toyota Supra 2020 with a manual transmission. He then further added that those who want a manual sports coupe should rather go for the Toyota 86 instead.

>>> Latest update: 2021 Toyota Supra: Expectations and what we know so far

Tetsuya Tada with a preproduction TOyota Supra

Here's the man himself; Tetsuya Tada with a pre-production Supra way back before the official release

This statement also echoes what the same engineer had said back at the Detroit Auto Show where they didn’t want the Supra to compete or rather, cannibalize the sales of the Toyota 86. Also, another main factor of whether or not Toyota would build a manual variant Supra had depended on demand but apparently there just wasn’t enough.

With regards to the lack of demand though, we could say that you better take that with a grain of salt as even on the r/Cars subreddit who has 1.5 million members, a good number of members would rather that both an automatic and a manual Supra be available.

2. Toyota Supra 2020: The good news

While that announcement wasn’t exactly taken with much enthusiasm by Supra fans as evident from a lot of automotive forums, there is some good news with regards to the performance of the Toyota sports coupe and for its future models.

First is that it appears that the Supra can do an incredible 0 to 100 km/h in just under four seconds. That’s really impressive but upon considering that the Supra only has 335 horsepower, it appears that the car actually has a higher horsepower output than advertised.

Second, is that Chief Tada has said that they are seeking to squeeze more power from the Supra’s 3.0-liter inline-6 engine. He even went out to say that it is typical for a sports car model to have more in terms of performance with each additional year model.

There’s even this rumor going around that Toyota and BMW are actually planning to build an M3 powered future version of the Supra with around 503 horsepower. But then again, that’s just a rumor.

A picture of a white 2020 Toyota Supra

We're really liking the idea of an M3 powered Toyota Supra. Fingers crossed!

>>> Check out for the best Toyota Supra with low downpayment right now!

3. Toyota Supra 2020: Another route to get a manual Supra

While others have voiced out their frustrations with regards to the Supra’s lack of a manual variant, some more mechanically knowledgeable and very enterprising dudes have taken it into their own hands to build one with a third pedal.

Called the European Auto Group, the tuning company which is based in Texas are already working hard to develop a manual conversion for the Toyota Supra 2020. They will use BMW parts and that could mean that it would turn out to be an easy to install “kit” for the Supra’s 3.0-liter inline-six. The downside though is that the said conversion would cost around $12,000. That’s around Php 624,000.

A picture of a yellow toyota Supra

It also helps that the Toyota Supra was developed to be easy to work on

For more automotive news and car reviews, please keep reading here on Philkotse.com.

Know more about Toyota Supra 2024

Toyota Supra

The Toyota GR Supra is a 2-seater sports car that is available in the Philippines at a price of Php 4,990,000. It can go up to Php 5,090,000 if the Ice Gray body color option is chosen, with five other paints priced at Php 5,050,000. Only one variant is available locally which uses a BMW-sourced 3.0-liter inline-6 twin-scroll turbocharged gasoline engine that generates 335 Nm of torque and 500 Nm of torque. This engine is connected to an 8-speed automatic transmission as standard. Dimensions-wise, this iconic sports car spans 4,379 mm in length, 1,854 mm in width, and 1,294 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,470 mm and a ground clearance rated at 115 mm. In the local market, the Toyota Supra competes against the likes of Ford Mustang, Nissan 370Z, and Porsche 718.

₱ 4,990,000 - ₱ 5,050,000

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Cesar G.B. Miguel

Cesar G.B. Miguel

Author

Cesar Guiderone B. Miguel was born and raised in Iligan City, Lanao Del Norte. He graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts in English degree from Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology. He previously worked as a freelance writer for various websites, as a member of the Iligan City Disaster Risk Reduction Management's training staff, and as a medical sales representative.

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