Why Toyota didn’t follow VW, Hyundai with dual-clutch hot hatches

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A lot of car brands have switched to dual-clutch automatic transmissions in their high-performance road cars to get super-fast shift times and a more responsive drive.

hatches.

Both cars were previously available only with manual transmissions and were developed using expertise and technology gained from competing in the World Rally Championship (WRC). Both models now come with eight-speed automatic transmissions, which have been designed with motorsport and track driving in mind.

The brand is most familiar with torque converters, especially in its faster cars, over other technologies.

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“Naohiko Saito, the chief engineer in charge of GR Yaris, mentioned that we have a long history with torque converters and we're confident in developing that technology and taking it into the performance market,” he said.

“We felt in balance with the everyday drivability benefits that the torque converter brings, if we could get that performance to the point where it’s very close to a dual-clutch auto, then that’s the best position for the customer.”

"That's how I feel about it … there's not a huge trade-off in terms of the speed and responsiveness, and at the same time in everyday driving you're not experiencing that slow-speed bump or the inner-city traffic congestion you get with a dual-clutch transmission. That was the goal, and I think we've achieved it.”

is manual-only.

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In 2023, despite previously being suitable for use in many vehicles.

Other obvious options for Toyota include continuously variable transmissions (CVTs), which the company has been making for over two decades.

Using a CVT in a performance lineup theoretically provides unbeatable smoothness and quick shift times, purely because there's no need to change gears at all.

– a brand in which Toyota has a substantial investment – despite having used torque converters previously.

The Japanese brand has never fitted a dual-clutch auto to a production car directly from the factory, including the MR-2 among others.

and BMW-derived GR Supra.

Toyota's updated GR Corolla, available as a manual or auto, is now available for purchase. The automatic GR Yaris is due to arrive in mid-2025.