Toyota’s upcoming sports car – built in collaboration with BMW – hasn’t been given an official name yet, but we’ve called it the Supra for so long that it’s practically become synonymous with it. Now, Toyota engineers are apparently pushing to make that name stick, according to CarAdvice.
Global chief engineer Tetsuya Tada told the Australian publication that he wants to see the Supra name go onto the car. “I love the Supra and I love the name Supra,” he said. “It’s historically important to Toyota. We’re pushing for the name Supra for the new car we are [jointly] developing with BMW.”
Tada added that the collaboration with Munich was going well, with extended testing and development being conducted around the world. “I’d say the partnership is going well, very smooth,” he said. “We’re testing all over the world too, not just Fuji or Nurburgring, but all [around] the world.”
To be positioned above the 86, the new car will be a long-awaited successor to the long-departed MkIV Supra – which last left the factory in 2002 – and will be inspired by the stunning FT-1 concept that debuted at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show.
Along with its BMW sibling – tipped to be called the Z5 – the new Supra is expected to utilise a hybrid powertrain, with a BMW engine (likely a straight-six), electric motors and capacitors providing four-wheel drive. The cars are also tipped to benefit from BMW’s expertise in carbon fibre, joining the likes of the BMW i3, i8 and G12 7 Series in incorporating the material in their architecture.
BMW board member for sales and marketing Ian Robertson has previously said that despite the two cars sharing plenty underneath, both companies have drawn up a proposal that will position the Supra and Z5 at different areas of the sports car market. “The one thing we’re clear on now is that a platform for both companies can work,” he said.
“The cars in themselves don’t actually need to be positioned the same. The platform can spawn two positionings. The concept works, the platform can deliver and now we have two proud sets of engineers – one group German, one group Japanese – who are each fighting and arguing for the car they want.”
The two companies have been working together on both cars since 2012; however, they have now gone their own separate ways in terms of development. We’ve previously brought you spyshots of a convertible Z5 being tested on the road, and although the Toyota has yet to been seen, it is understood that it is in a similar stage of development.
SPYSHOTS: BMW Z5
GALLERY: Toyota FT-1 Concept
