√Subaru BRZ wait times stretch six months, still outselling Toyota GR86 twin

The original Toyota GR86 outsold its identical twin the Subaru BRZ by more than three-to-one over a decade, but the tables have turned since the switch to the new model.

Wait times for the Subaru BRZ stretch up to six months in Australia as the sports-car continues to outsell its identical twin, the Toyota GR86, by more than two-to-one.

It’s a reversal of fortunes for the sibling rivals.

Toyota delivered more than 21,000 examples of the original GR86 coupe over a decade from 2012, compared to more than 6000 examples of the Subaru BRZ over the same period.

But since the new models arrived in local showrooms, the Subaru BRZ has held the upper hand.

Last year, the Subaru BRZ outsold the Toyota GR86 by more than five-to-one (1165 versus 212 deliveries) in Australia.

And so far this year, the Subaru BRZ has outsold the Toyota GR86 by more than two-to-one (566 versus 211) locally.

When asked why the tables had turned, the boss of Subaru Australia Blair Read told Drive: “We have put a lot of focus on BRZ.

“We have good supply, and our process for customer allocations and giving visibility for customers on order times, we’ve really worked really hard at that.

“It’s a car that’s in high demand, and we’ve found it’s important for people to know when we confirm when it is coming, they’re going to get it. We just stick to our guns and focus on what we are doing.”

When asked if the Subaru BRZ would continue to outsell the Toyota GR86 over the long term in Australia, Mr Read said: “We don’t know what Toyota’s plans are (but) we’ve got a few things planned in the pipeline for BRZ to keep customers engaged.”

Sales of the original Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ peaked in 2013 – their second year on sale locally – with 6706 deliveries reported for the Toyota and 1411 reported for the Subaru.

After that peak, sales went into free-fall – as is the case with most sports cars – dipping to a low of 207 Toyota GR86 and 195 Subaru BRZ deliveries in 2021.

The arrival of the new models in 2022 has delivered a much needed sales boost – with 1165 examples of the Subaru BRZ reported as sold versus 212 Toyota GR86 coupes – though the figures fall way short of their former glory.

The post Subaru BRZ wait times stretch six months, still outselling Toyota GR86 twin appeared first on Drive.