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Toyota confirmed Wednesday that its new Supra sports car will be built next to the corresponding BMW Z4 (pictured below) in a factory in Graz, Austria.
The factory is operated by independent carmaker Magna Steyr and has been producing the G-Class for Mercedes-Benz for several decades and has recently started producing the E-Pace and I-Pace for Jaguar. Soon, it will be necessary to add the twins Z4 and Supra.
Newspaper Kleine Zeitung first reported the possibility in 2016.
BMW Z4 Roadster 2019
The new Supra, fifth generation of the iconic Japanese sports car, is expected to debut early next year, most likely at the Detroit auto show in January 2019.
Toyota has confirmed that the car will stay true to its predecessors with an on-line engine and a rear-wheel drive system. The engine will be a BMW 3.0 liter turbocharged engine, with a displacement of 3.0 liters and a horsepower of about 335 horsepower, which should be enough for the car reaches 60 mph in less than 5.0 seconds.
A hybrid powertrain developed by Toyota with more power is expected later in the life cycle, perhaps in a lane-oriented model. A 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder engine, also borrowed from BMW, is also expected with around 260 horsepower.
Toyota Supra Prototype
We know that an eight-speed automatic transmission will be available, but it is not clear if a manual will be available too. We also know that the car will come with a rear differential to divide the torque between the rear wheels. The stopping power in the meantime will come from a set of Brembo brakes with four-piston calipers and large-diameter discs.
Toyota says the focus on performance and handling has allowed the car to have an extremely short wheelbase, low center of gravity, high stiffness and an ideal weight distribution of 50-50. We are talking about a shorter wheelbase and a lower center of gravity than the Toyota 86 sports car and of stiffness comparable to that of the carbon fiber-based Lexus LFA.
Toyota will market the car under the Toyota Gazoo Racing sub-brand in most markets, although the performance sub-brand, which is linked to the Toyota Gazoo Racing motor sport department, is not expected to be in the US. Instead, the Supra will probably be marketed here simply as a Toyota or possibly as a TRD product (Toyota Racing Developments).
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