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TOYOTA Australia is working on new sales procedures to handle the expected order flow for its next-generation, strictly limited Supra sports car, officially unveiled last month before its launch in Australia in the third quarter.
With only about 300 units awarded to the Australian market in the first 12 months, the demand for the new Supra – for which local prices or specifications have not been confirmed, leaving the order books closed for the moment – should easily exceed the supply.
This is the same situation Toyota was in with the 86 sports car in 2012, with fast turnaround times to 18 months.
Sitting at GoAuto on Friday at Toyota's Australian headquarters in Melbourne, where the Supra was on display after its world premiere at the Detroit auto show a few weeks ago, Toyota Australia's public affairs officer, Brodie Bott, is not going to be in the driver's seat. has not been able to confirm figures as eloquent as possible. in the sports car.
"I can not name numbers yet, but I will simply say that the interest has been considerable," he said.
"As you can imagine, this is one of those cars we have not had in a very long time. It is not surprising to take this into account and then look at the car and how beautiful it is. "I had a lot of interest. "
Although local prices and specifications remain secret, the BMW Z4 M40i roadster – which shares the same platform and engine as the Supra – is confirmed starting at $ 124,900 plus road fees.
The Toyota fixed roof Supra is expected to remain below this mark.
As pressure mounted before the order book was officially opened, Bott revealed that the company was working on new sales procedures to better "manage the ordering process."
That this includes a strictly online sales process remains to be confirmed.
"We are still working on this allocation process and we should have some details on it later this year," he said.
"We never really had a car like this before, I think the closest thing was the 86 – it was a very, very popular car – so when you look at it, and then look at that, the Supra – us & # 39; We need to do some work on how we allocate this and how we manage the ordering process.
"It's a very unique car, it comes from Europe, its production is limited, there's so much hype, everyone is asking for a hand, and for us, we're asking for patience while we let's follow this process. "
The Supra is built in Graz, Austria, on the same production line as the Z4. This BMW factory will produce Supras for all markets around the world.
With larger markets such as North America, Europe and Japan likely having a stronger voice than Australia in terms of allocation, the local Supra stock should not last long.
Mr. Bott said that Supra's distinctive exterior styling and connection to BMW did not deter his customers.
"Most of the feedback has been positive, in my opinion, but there will always be people who have an opinion," Bott said.
"If you look at the history of the Supra, it's a model so loved … so the Supra in 2019 will be a very different model, it has come a long way since.
"We've heard these criticisms, but in the end, I still think it will be a very popular car."
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