Few cars have attracted the kind of anticipation of the Toyota GR 86 – both the 2012 original and its new-generation successor – and while the predicted late-2021 launch of the new version is quickly approaching, its Australian price tag is nowhere to be seen.
Over the weekend, Toyota unveiled the US specification of the GR 86 that starts from US$27,700 (before on-roads), which is $37,686 when translated into Australian dollars.
The incoming GR 86 is expected to receive a small price bump in its second generation
While Australian pricing is likely to undercut that US-converted amount, it provides us with a good insight into what the GR 86 will likely cost when it finally goes on sale here.
The US pricing for the GR 86 reflects a US$640 (AU$870), or 2.37 percent, increase over the starting price of its US-specified GT 86 predecessor in 2021.
If this percentage increase translates to Australia, we would see the 2022 GR 86 start from around $33,000 before on-road costs. However, this would be unlikely for a new-generation transition and this change is not reflected by the closely-related Subaru BRZ.
Like the first generation, the new Toyota GR 86 and Subaru BRZ are almost identical in terms of hardware, but with modest styling differences, though the latter has historically been priced higher and fitted with more equipment in Australia.
The closely related Subaru BRZ has been priced from $38,990 (before on-road costs) in Australia
Subaru Australia released the specification of the second-generation BRZ in September with a listed price of $38,990 (before on-road costs) for the entry-level Coupe six-speed manual and $40,190 (before on-road costs) for the Coupe S manual. The automatic option demands an additional $3800 for each.
The changes reflect a price increase of around $3500 for the manual BRZ and $5400 for the automatic, with the latter loaded with notably more safety equipment in this generation.
The 2022 BRZ pricing reflects an average increase of 9.91 percent for the manual and 14.13 percent for the automatic. Directly translated to the GR 86, this would see a starting price of $35,369 for an entry-level manual and $39,352 for the automatic.
The GR 86 will likely be sold in two grades in Australia
So how much will the GR 86 actually cost?
While the new-generation GR 86 has seen some big improvements in outright performance and safety, as Chasing Cars has detailed previously, much of the car remains the same and this could help keep the price low.
A core two-grade structure is expected to continue in Australia, as we’ve seen in most of the world, because we don’t expect the Japan-exclusive, stripped-out GR 86 RC to make it to Australia.
The GR 86 will launch in Australia late this year or early next
With the above figures taken into consideration, Chasing Cars estimates the 2022 GR 86 will start around $35,000 for a base manual, while a higher-trim automatic could command around $42,000, with both prices before on-road costs.
Toyota originally planned to release the GR 86 late this year but that may be pushed out to early in 2022, for issues we have detailed in a separate article.
Regardless of the outcome, we are likely to see more information from Toyota Australia in the coming weeks as anticipation for this iconic coupe continues to build.