Try the A90 Toyota Supra’s auto with an open mind; but if manual still wanted, we could do it – Tada - Latest Car News, Bike news & Reviews, Auto News

The A90 Toyota Supra chief engineer, Tetsuya Tada, claims that he has been asked this question 100 million times across the world. Now, he may be exaggerating (just slightly, just rounding it up), but we can so imagine this. Tada san is surely bored of “the manual question” by now but he’s professional, and he repeats it again here.

At the European launch of the new Supra, Tada told DriveTribe that he hasn’t ruled out a manual gearbox for the reborn sports car, and that a stick shift has been tested. Assistant CE Masayuki Kai has gone on record before to say that a “the hardware is ready” for the A90.

“I’ve been asked this 100 million times across the world. There is a website that polls what you want in new Supra, and manual transmission is always high on the list. I get a notification when people vote for it!” Tada said. “We’ve considered it and things have been tested,” he added.

We’re sure that the good man behind the Supra and 86 knows the joys of rowing your own gears in a sports car, but he’s urging fans to try out the ZF eight-speed automatic in the A90 before dismissing it. “People should give the automatic gearbox a try. But come to it with an open mind. If having driven it people still want a manual, then of course as with normal sports cars there’ll be yearly updates – and we could introduce it,” he said.

So, first try the auto Supra with an open mind (the ZF eight-speeder is great in BMWs, best in the premium class), but if you’re still not satisfied after that, join the manual chorus, and Toyota might just oblige.

Read all about the A90 Toyota Supra here, and see it in a new light – with proper Japanese rims making a huge difference – under the care of HKS here.

GALLERY: A90 Toyota GR Supra, Japan-spec