Despite Toyota's best efforts to build a worthy successor to the iconic MKIV Supra, the 2020 GR Supra has been shrouded in controversy from a few different groups since day one.
Alongside complaints about the car's BMW power plant and styling, critics have complained about the lack of a manual gearbox being offered.
The chances of Toyota answering that last cry have gotten a little better today, with news of a three-pedal BMW Z4 hitting markets around the world.
Currently, an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox is standard in the GR Supra, the same as the Z4, so there is a possibility for the crossover to happen.
Unfortunately, the manual option will only be offered in the Z4 sDrive20i, and not the M40i, the only Z4 model that we currently receive in New Zealand.
Though we have only ever seen automatic Supra models in testing, a manual transmission option has long been rumoured.
Masayuki Ka, the chief engineer for the new Supra has previously mentioned the possibility of the manual transmission: "This is not yet finally decided, and depending on feedback from the market, we will decide if we should introduce a manual transmission."
"We have developed it, yes, there is hardware ready. Right-hand drive? Yes, of course. It needs to be sold in Japan, which is a right-hand drive market," said Masayuki in an interview with Car Advice.
Despite the fact that we're not getting the manual Z4, this doesn't rule out the possibility of a manual Supra. And after hearing Masayuki Ka's thoughts on the matter, we're going to remain quietly optimistic.