You just listed 2 lexus' and a bunch of non production race cars. How do those at all make the Toyota cars they actually sell more sporty? We're not talking about what race cars and luxury cars they make. We're talking the Toyota cars they sell to people everyday. Honda is stepping up their game in terms of performance and content for the everyday car driver, Toyota is still selling lame duck appliances.
Lexus is Toyota like Honda is to Acura. Acuras pretty lame duck, looks bad on Honda. Lexus is badass, great press for Toyota. Akio Toyoda is about of the most speed addled freaks you'll ever come across in this business and all he wants to do is build stuff that goes fast. Hes pushing the Supra through, he pushed the FRS through and he pushed the Lexus RC through.
I don't need to explain that racing is the crucible of innovation do I? What Toyota is doing in WEC with supercapacitor hybrids will be a factor in the Supra project. Why do you think BMW is itching to work with Toyota. Honda on the other hand decided to go to Formula One for its hybrid solution, they've just scored their first points of the season LOL...
Toyota also had the balls to make the FRS...
And while we're on the topic of sporty, what makes you think that consumers want sporty. Toyota is a business and their business is selling cars. If the consumer for the most part doesn't care about sporty what advantage to you glean by selling sporty cars to people who don't want sporty cars?
Toyota simply adopted to what the market place wanted...which brings me to the FRS. Its everything all enthusiasts said they wanted in a new car...why don't you have one, why doesn't anyone have one? Because actual sporty is not practical, simulacrum is all the rage. People don't want to be sporty they want to look sporty...if they wanted to be sporty they would of bought an FRS (ok or BRZ)