Toyota Ractis 1st generation (P100)

At the dealership, the Ractis was the successor to the Funcargo. Even so, Tada believed that what buyers in this class want shifts easily, and that an ordinary model change was not enough, so he changed everything from the name to the concept. Whether it was right to give up an established name was debated many times even among executives.

He wanted a car that, even though it was tall, could be driven with real pleasure. Every car got 16-inch tires, and the paddle shifters were added with a one-make race in mind, so that people who couldn't heel-and-toe could still race. They even built a race concept car, but the plan never saw the light of day. Even so, Tada recalls that a recommendation from someone who remembered this plan seems to have led to his later assignment to sports cars.