RUMOR: New Supra To Get 2018 Release Date

The new Supra, and subsequent “Z5” BMW, are apparently just around the corner, and I couldn’t be happier.

This will usher in a, hopefully, rejuvenated bloodline to the middle tier 2-door sports car realm. The Nissan 370z is wearing on in years with no successor in sight and the current Z4, along with so many others, are in the exact boat. The Supra and Z5 could stoke the flames and get every toher car maker going. And that could happen by 2018.

Here’s what we know.

New information suggests the long-awaited Toyota Supra will arrive in 2018, shortly after the BMW Z5 with which it will share many parts.

BMW and Toyota have been jointly working on the models since 2012, but have now begun to move development off in their own directions. BMW has been spotted testing its convertible Z5 on the road and Toyota is said to be at a similar stage of development.

While the Z5 will effectively be a replacement for its Z4, the Supra will come as the long-awaited successor to Toyota’s discontinued coupé, which was last produced in 2002. The new Supra will take inspiration from the FT-1 concept of Detroit 2014 (shown below), and will sit above the GT86 in Toyota’s line-up.

Nothing else in the article talks about timing, but we do get a bit of news on the possible powertrain.

The two models are due to feature a hybrid four-wheel-drive set-up incorporating a BMW petrol engine and electric motors whose energy is stored in supercapacitors.

BMW is understood to be bringing its expertise in construction to the project, with the new sports car likely to follow the existing i3, i8 and 7 Series, by making use of carbonfibre in its architecture.

Given the fact stated in the Autocar article that these two companies have been working on this since 2012, given the average time from sketch to market 2018 doesn’t sound unreasonable. However, this can be taken with a giant grain of salt and I personally believe that 2020 is a more likely year of launch.

Both BMW and Toyota want to get this right. They’re not going to rush something out just because.

(Source: Autocar)