Well, it's rumored that Subaru doesn't ever want the car to compete with the WRX/STI. They're afraid it would cannibalize their WRX sales, which some people think is crazy because they're two entirely different types of cars. Not only is that part of the reason it's rwd (though the main reason is because that's what Toyota wants) I think that's also part of the reason why the engine is "lacking in power." I put that in parenthesis because that's a common complaint for the car, when in all honesty, I find the power levels of the engine sufficient.

A lot of people say that Toyota wanted to bring the GT-86 to the US under the Scion marque to prop up Scion's sales or because they don't think the American market is receptive to sporty Toyotas anymore. I think that's part of the reason, but I also think there's another reason. The build quality on these cars is not up to par with Toyota's regular offerings. The interior itself is decent, but to save weight they cut back on the sound deadening material, which greatly increases road noise. The paint is your typical thin, soft Subaru paint. You so much as look at it wrong and you get paint swirls and rock chips. Then there's the whole deal with the tail light condensation, chirping fuel pump, and a few gremlins here and there, and suddenly the car starts to feel a bit cheap. I think Toyota knew this would happen from the get go, so they brought the car under the Scion marque because Scion is the "cheap" Toyota.

So, why am I bringing up the FR-S and comparing it to Tesla? Because they're both niche cars. They have different target demographics, yes, but they're still niche cars. So let's take a look at the yearly sales numbers for the FR-S. If you take a good look, the sales numbers started out strong, but month after month they're steadily dropping. The pent up demand for the car has been satiated and Toyota is starting to see the limits of demand for that model. Without a mid-model refresh or something drastic (which more than likely won't happen, because of Subaru and the WRX), these numbers will continue to decline. The only thing that can keep numbers going is visibility. That's why Tesla needs its displays. With only one model on offering at the moment, they need to remind people that they want their cars. Their sales numbers are currently all over the place, but that's probably due to a number of factors. I think if they were a traditional car company, they'd be seeing the same drop.

For the sake of science, here are the numbers for the Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf. Chevrolet is slowing, Nissan is growing. Maybe I'm talking out of my ass. Though if we look at the Nissan 370z there is evidence that a niche model only lasts so long.