Good Job Auto Enthusiasts - Toyota GR86 Sales Are Up 326%

It's pretty rare to see something like this. First, an automaker (Toyota) took everything that enthusiasts, journalists, and their mothers had to say about the existing Toyota 86. Then, they changed the model accordingly, fixing just about every gripe anyone ever had about the brand's boxer-powered sports car. Shortly thereafter, the very same enthusiasts, journalists, and their mothers went out to their local Toyota dealership and bought one.

On the whole, well done automotive community. This is how the relationship between manufacturers and their customers is supposed to work. You all deserve some kudos for that. If you need hard evidence of this relationship working out, you're in luck. Toyota just released their first quarter 2022 US sales report, and the Toyota GR86 cleaned up.

As you may have read (in the title perhaps), the sales of the Toyota GR86 are up 326.3% for the quarter on a volume basis. Put another way, in March alone, sales for the brand's newest sports car (that isn't the GR Corolla) are up 200%. Seeing as the refreshed GR86 debuted only last year, these are impressive figures. Toyota says that those numbers are the best-ever for the 86 on top of that.

Funnily enough, the GR86's twin, the Subaru BRZ didn't do nearly as well. Odd, given how similar the two are. Our guess is that we're seeing some serious brand preference, and perhaps even some ill will Subaru has earned by axing the WRX STI. The BRZ sold 241 units this time last year, with the refresh boosting sales only slightly to 291 units, or 20.7%. Still, it's a healthy increase for Subaru, which has sold 971 BRZs YTD in 2022 as compared to 583 in March of '21.