Well, its no secret that the current clad Corolla is well over-due for its model year makeover. Toyota has now hung onto the current design, extending the conforming, utilitarian, and conservative (read: boring) outlook for 2 extra years. In some circles I have heard this to be a really interesting strategy:
1. Civic/Mazda3/Lancer are all enjoying a facelift late 2005 Impreza hits the scene in new-dapper present, mid-2006.
2. Celica is retired, RSX is hung, Civic SIR/TypeR is introduced in respective domestic markets, WRX/STI/MazdaSpeed3 readily available
3. Yaris making a nill impact with the dealership offered ‘aero package’ For those that absolutly unaware of Toyota’s new “flagship” sports compact, let me paint you a picture:
Yes, get a good look at that rear. This thing doesn’t have enough horses for you to see it again once you’ve passed it.
WTF is up with Toyota? are they too busy ENJOYING WORLD DOMINATION WITHOUT A SPORTS CAR? WTF???????
So, this begs me to ask, has Toyota concluded that they are simply too LAME to do anything sporty (or fun). Anyone who has any recollection of Toyota’s racing past (now acient history) would recognize their contribution to the Formula Atlantic series, a celica that had a turbo (?!OMG?!) and 4-wheel-drive(?!?!WTF), and finally a Supra in some street-racing movie with a bald guy that lives his life a 1/4-mile at a time.
THE MOVIE that has proved more effective to draw attention to “Toyota” and “Fast” being in the same thought-process would be INITIAL-D. Ohh, Toyotas, and wow, they can drift….
I have heard more mouths repeat that this movie had done more for Toyota motorsports than TRD has done worldwide.
So what is Toyota gonna do? There is some kind of rumor regarding Toyota and a new sports something-or-other, but those in the scene long enough would remember this inkling to be familiar to noise that surfaced with this car:
Power to the rear wheels, but came to the market too large, too heavy and just couldnt’ come to the market with any financial race-team series/sponsorship.
So, there is a new Skyline, Honda is happy dominating the high-revving sport-compact market and even Hyundai has a RWD Tiburon in the works…. Will Toyota ever be anything Motorsports, again?
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