Ugh. Not about the car's looks (though it does kind of look like a mutant Martian catfish), but they are screwing up if they make this thing heavy (check), slow (questionable, but probably a check- it's a Toyota, and they forgot how to make fast cars a while back), and expensive (check). That's what killed all the Japanese performance cars 10-15 years ago. Everything was stupidly expensive and became heavier and heavier as the years wore on. Was the last-gen RX7 awesome? Sure. But it cost buckets of money- nearly 40k for the last year. Same deal with the Supra. $40k. That maybe doesn't sound like a lot now (well, to some people, but it sure as hell does to me...), but that's $52000 in 2008 dollars. That's a ton of freakin' money. The Z car has been getting fatter, more powerful, and more expensive for 30 years now, though, so maybe there's something to this.
Point? I don't know if I really have one. But I am seeing this going badly for Toyota. They probably just don't see the point in building a performance car that sells for $20k or less. I can understand the business logic- the margins are skinnier, and serving enthusiasts doesn't pay the electric bills.
Also, if this is to be branded "Toyota," they can't price it too low, or they will cannibalize Scion tC sales, ridiculous as that sounds. Personally, I think they should replace the polished turd that is the tC with this, price it where we want it around $20k, and build it somewhere here in the States. THAT would be cool.
