--- title: "Toyota GR86 Smoked Just About Every Cheap Import Sports Car in Sales Last Year" date: "2025-01-17" modified: "2025-01-17" authors: - name: "Adam Ismail" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/adam-ismail.md" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/toyota-gr86-smoked-just-about-every-cheap-import-sports-car-in-sales-last-year" categories: - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Toyota News" tags: - "Coupe" - "GR86" - "sports car" - "Toyota" --- # Toyota GR86 Smoked Just About Every Cheap Import Sports Car in Sales Last Year ![Side view of a 2022 Toyota GR86 in white.]() *\Toyota\* The thing about entry-level sports cars is that while we love them—and we're willing to bet you do too since you're reading this—the vast majority of customers less concerned with driving enjoyment prefer something more practical, with room for people and things. This has always been the way, but over the years, the market's shift away from cheap, two-door fun has accelerated. It's a trend touching just about every player in this field, except one: the [Toyota GR86](). While sales of many entry- or mid-level sports cars fell last year, the plucky GR86 kept strong. Toyota moved 11,426 examples in the U.S. in 2024, a slight increase over 2023's 11,078 total, according to CarFigures. It should also be said that sales of the [Mazda Miata]() stayed relatively stable last year, at 8,103 units. That's a decline from 2023's 8,973, per [GoodCarBadCar](), but hey—selling 8,000 convertibles in 2024 should be commended, and it's encouraging to know the Miata has staying power. It's when we turn to the rest of the market that things get both depressing and confusing. We know that last year was the first in which Nissan got it together and [the Z finally topped the Supra in sales](). Yet, even if you summed up those two coupes—3,164 units for the Z, 2,615 for the Supra—you get just barely over half of the GR86's total. "Well those cars are more expensive," you might be saying—and that's true, they're certainly in a class above. There's one big contender we haven't talked about, of course, one that shares almost all of the GR86's parts except its badge. The [BRZ](), you'd reckon, should compare favorably in sales. And yet, [Subaru moved only 3,345 of them last year]()—less than a third of the GR86's result. What's going on? Fortunately, Subaru has shared some insight into why the sales balance has tilted so strongly in Toyota's favor. Over the summer, a representative from the automaker told *[Motor1]()* that BRZ deliveries are "directly linked" and seemingly hampered by production. "We are allotted a certain amount of production units for the U.S. market and we are prioritizing Forester production," the spokesperson told the outlet. Tally up sales of the BRZ, Supra, and Z, and we're at 9,124. Even if you add the Supra's German cousin, the [BMW Z4](), and its 2,129 deliveries into the mix, you still land about 170 cars shy of the GR86's number. ![]() **Toyota** That's just about the reasonably priced foreign sports coupe market in the U.S. It should be noted that the domestic party—the Ford Mustang [(44,003)](), Chevy Corvette ([33,330]()), and Dodge Challenger ([27,056](); also, discontinued last year), obviously play in a different league. But each of those was still down last year. Mustang sales dropped by roughly 4,600 in 2024, while the Corvette was off by just about 1,000 cars. It's refreshing that the GR86 has been recognized by the market as an option for low-cost thrills. It also makes you wonder how the likes of the Honda Civic Si, Hyundai Elantra N, and Volkswagen GTI are doing. It's challenging to get numbers for the first two, as those spicier trims aren't typically broken out in terms of sales within their parent models. But we do know how the GTI performed because there's no ordinary Golf here in the States anymore. [VW shifted 11,072 examples]() of the quintessential hot hatch in 2024, a marked 48% improvement over 7,451 in 2023. That's great, and yet, the less-practical GR86 still beat it. Near the end of this year, a new contender among sport coupes will arrive on the scene: the [Honda Prelude](). We won't truly know how it'll fare relative to the GR86 and others until the end of 2026, after its first full year on the market. It's also a different proposition from many of these vehicles: front-wheel drive, hybrid, and [less geared for out-and-out performance](). Still, the more the merrier in the world of two-door fun. *Got tips? Send ’em to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Adam is a Senior Editor at The Drive, concentrating on curating and developing the site's slate of daily journalism, from initial pitch to final copy edit. When he's not at his desk researching leads and working with writers, he's testing vehicles or reviewing racing games, new and old. He joined The Drive in 2023, following seven years of covering consumer technology and cars. A car lover and gamer since his earliest memories, Adam came to know the automotive world through video games. First it was Daytona USA, Sega Rally, and Ridge Racer; then came Need For Speed, which inspired an encyclopedic knowledge of '90s supercars, and, of course, Gran Turismo. If not for them, he'd assuredly be doing something else right now. Adam is based in the suburbs outside Philly, where there are ample roads for his hot hatch to stretch its legs. In his car, he's probably listening to indie rock, drum and bass, or Yankees baseball. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]() ## More - [Toyota Is Testing a GR86 With the GR Corolla’s Turbo Three-Cylinder Engine]() - [2022 Toyota GR86 Review: Fun Never Gets Old]() - [Toyota GR86 Sales Shoot Through the Roof, Subaru BRZ Falls to the Basement]() - [This Is Probably the Next Toyota GR86/Subaru BRZ]() - [New Toyota GR86 Cup Series Is What’s Next After Winning Every Autocross]() - [Toyota GR86 Sales Were Up 326 Percent in Q1 2022, Which Is a Lot]() - [2023 Toyota GR86 Review: Will It Dog?]() - [This Widebody Kit Makes the Toyota GR86 Look Like a Menacing Race Car]()