Toyota has a new rear-drive sports car coming, with help from BMW. Here's what we know, and what we think we know, about it.
Toyota reentered the rear-wheel drive sports car game with the 86 (née Scion FR-S) back in 2012, and now it's got something bigger in the works. Something that could be a successor to the mighty Supra, one of Toyota's most beloved cars of all time. There's a lot we know about this car and there's a lot we've heard, so we're compiling all of it here, just for you.
We don't know for sure whether this car will wear the Supra badge, but for simplicity's sake, that's how we're going to refer to it for now. Who doesn't want a new Supra?
After months of us waiting, Toyota has finally set a date for the reveal of its new sports car—March 6th, at the Geneva Motor Show. It looks like it'll be a race-car concept, rather than a production car, which lines up with what we've already heard.
Interestingly, Toyota hasn't yet confirmed the name Supra. It says that it's bringing its "most iconic sports car" back to the market, which certainly points to a revival of the Supra name, but it's not a confirmation.
It Might Not Wear a Toyota Badge
Speaking to Motor1 UK, Shigeki Tomoyama, the president of Toyota's Gazoo Racing division implied that the Supra might not wear Toyota badging. Instead, according to Tomoyama, it will be badged as a Gazoo.
Tomoyama also made some big promises about the Supra's sports-car credentials.
"The Supra will be a pure sports car," he told Motor1 UK. "The previous Supra had a straight six engine, twin turbochargers and rear-wheel drive. These were important elements."
Tomoyama, who owns a 600-hp MkIV Supra, also said that Toyota boss Akio Toyoda had a hand in the car's development, saying it needed a "more mobile" rear axle. The Supra will also have 50:50 weight distribution, and Toyota is already developing aftermarket parts.
-It's Being Co-Developed With BMW
The Supra will be the result of a BMW-Toyota collaboration first announced in 2012. The two companies are working together on engines and lithium-ion batteries, and most interestingly, a new rear-wheel drive platform.
We've already seen the concept form of another car set to ride on this platform—the next BMW Z4 roadster, which debuted at Pebble Beach this summer and promises to be a legitimately excellent sports car. BMW is reportedly targeting a sub-3200-lb curb weight for the Z4, which is good news for the Supra said to share its platform. We think the Supra might be available as a hardtop only, since we haven't seen spy shots of any soft-top prototypes testing, so it's possible the Supra might be even lighter.
It Starts Production in 2018
In May, we reported that the Supra would hit production next year, and that it would be assembled in Austria by contract manufacturer Magna Steyr, which is best known as the company that builds the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen.
It'll Likely Get Six-Cylinder Power Of Some Sort
Based on Nürburgring videos of Supra prototypes, we're thinking they're running some sort of six-cylinder engine. We've heard that the model could get a V6 augmented by an electric motor, or perhaps a BMW straight-six. This probably won't be the only drivetrain available, for reasons we'll get to below.
-It Will Look Like the FT-1 Concept
Renderings from SupraMkV.com inspired by spy photos imagine a Supra based on Toyota's FT-1 concept. The FT-1 made its debut in 2014 at the Detroit Auto Show and previewed what a future rear-drive sports car from Toyota could look like. With any luck, the production car will keep the concept car's gorgeous lines.
-What We Think We Know
It Might Be Smaller Than the MkIV
In its March issue, Japan's Best Car magazine has some claimed specs on the next-generation Supra. The magazine reports the new Supra's dimensions as follows:
Wheelbase: 97.2 inches
Length: 172.4 inches
Width: 73 inches
Height: 50.8 inches
Weight: 3284 lbs
Interestingly, those numbers would make the new Supra a little shorter than the MkIV both in length and wheelbase. It would slightly taller and wider, though. Weight would come in a little above the naturally aspirated MkIV Supra's 3215 lbs, but below the turbo's 3415 lbs.
BMW is reportedly targeting light weight for the Supra's platform-mate, the new Z4, so seeing Toyota's new sports car come in around 3200 lbs wouldn't be a surprise.
It Could Get an All-Wheel Drive Hybrid Drivetrain
So, we've heard a couple of different things about this. Last year, the CEO of Toyota Europe hinted the Supra could be a hybrid, using technology from Toyota’s LMP1-Hybrid race cars.
Additonally, Autocar reported last year that the Supra would get some sort of all-wheel drive hybrid drivetrain with a V6 gas engine, but that's far from confirmed. Top Gear reported in August that both the Z4 and the Supra would use a four-cylinder engine and an electrically-driven front axle. But so far, BMW hasn't announced any such model.
-There Might Not Be a Manual Option
This is another rumor we heard from Autocar, and it ties in with the Supra's potential hybrid drivetrain. A source told the UK publication that if the Supra is offered with some sort of LMP1-inspired hybrid powertrain, a manual transmission wouldn't make any sense.
Separately, a reportedly internal BMW document published by SupraMkV.com indicates that the Supra won't be offered with a manual, but the Z4 will. That document doesn't indicate a hybrid Supra, however, and BMW hasn't confirmed the document's origins.
Engines Could Come From BMW
That same leaked BMW document from SupraMkV.com indicates that the Supra will get three engine options—two 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinders and a 3.0-liter inline-six. The four-cylinders would likely be BMW's so-called 20i and 30i engines, found throughout its lineup, while the six is suspected to be the 40i engine. The document indicates that while the 20i engine will be offered in European-market Supras, only the higher-powered 30i and 40i motors are US-bound.
In its March 2018 issue, Japan's Best Car magazine reported that the Supra would have a 3.0-liter turbo inline-six with 335 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque with an additional 37 lb-ft on overboost. Those figures match BMW's 40i engine, as used in the M240i.
This seems to contradict what we've heard about the Supra getting a V6 hybrid setup, but it does sound like a reasonable possibility, considering these four- and six-cylinders will likely appear in the Z4. BMW's engines are excellent, and a straight-six would be a lovely throwback to previous Supras.
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