Toyota Supra Turbo-Four Models In Short Supply

Jul. 08, 2021 8:02 PM ET by Jay Traugott Sports Cars / 13 Comments

Though it depends on where you live.

Toyota has been one of the lucky ones during the semiconductor chip shortage crisis. The Japanese automaker learned harsh lessons following the devastating 2011 earthquake. One of the takeaways was to overhaul how it handles its supply chain. Instead of the industry standard "just in time" method, Toyota began stockpiling crucial components at significant expense, semiconductor chips among them. Toyota has been able to weather the chip shortage far better than everyone else. Still, this doesn't mean it's immune to supply-chain issues.

Car and Driver reports there's currently a shortage of the turbo four-cylinder-powered Toyota Supra in some parts of the country. The Austrian-built Supra is also available with the more powerful 3.0-liter turbocharged six-cylinder and it seems the latter isn't affected.

"Due to Covid-19 and related events, Toyota experienced a supply shortage that continues to periodically affect production at our North American plants," a Toyota spokesperson confirmed. "While the situation remains fluid and complex, our manufacturing and supply chain teams have worked diligently to develop countermeasures to minimize the impact on production."

C&D noted that 2.0 Supra supply is non-existent in regions where it's typical slow-seller anyway, such as the Southeast coastal region. Go out west to sunny California, specifically the Los Angeles area, and 2.0s are much easier to come by. Toyota further confirmed 2.0 models consist of "about 15 percent" of Supra supplies in general.

Furthermore, online configurators are tailored for specific areas; what you see online may or may not be seen elsewhere. Toyota doesn't provide a 2.0 vs. 3.0 Supra sales breakdown, but we figure the latter sells in greater numbers simply because there are more of them available even in normal times. It's also significantly more powerful than the four-banger, 255 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque vs. 382 hp and 368 lb-ft. Pricing is about a $6k difference but both versions are nearly identical from the outside. The wheels are the most significant difference. Turbo-four Supras will be restocked in all regions but this could be a while given the weird situation still plaguing the industry.

Source Credits: Car And Driver

Toyota Supra Turbo-Four Models In Short Supply

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