Toyota CEO: Toyotas should be fun to drive, if it’s not fun then it’s not a car
Speaking to the press at the debut of the Toyota GT 86 at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, CEO Akio Toyoda said that a ‘fun to drive’ theme must remain in the company’s future.
“I believe if it is not fun then it is not a car,” Toyoda said. “There are many different ways of travelling from A to B, but a car must have an emotional presence that inspires drivers to enjoy the feeling of driving.”
He went onto say that environmental and fuel-efficient driving should not take the fun out of driving.
“I believe that no matter how advanced we can become, it is important to keep the feeling of excitement,” he said. “Ultimately there is not only one choice of technology or future direction. It is up to the consumer to decide. Personally I like the smell of gasoline and sound of an engine, so I hope this type of vehicle won’t disappear.”
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Click here for our original post on the Toyota GT-86.
Toyoda also unveiled Toyota‘s new slogans – ‘Reborn’ and ‘Fun to drive, again.’
Refresher: Power for the Toyota GT 86 comes from a 2.0 liter 4-clyinder boxer engine making 197-hp at 7,000 rpm with a maximum torque of 151 lb-ft at 6,600 rpm. The engine is mated standard to a 6-speed manual transmission with an available 6-speed automatic. The Toyota GT 86 will go on sale in the United States next year as the Scion FR-S.
– By: Omar Rana
Source: AutoCar
