Toyota plans to have a three-tiered sports car lineup, with the GT 86 (Scion FR-S) to sit in the middle and be flanked by a new entry-level model and a range-topping one serving as a spiritual successor to the Supra. We’ve heard that the latter, which will borrow elements from the FT-1 concept car, may even be called a Supra.

Now we’re hearing that the Supra successor may come in both coupe and convertible flavors. Speaking with Drive, Toyota’s engineer responsible for its sports car development, Tetsuya Tada, said one of the three sports cars will have a convertible option, and suggested that the Supra successor would be the most likely recipient.

"Our final goal [is that] we want to do three sports models from Toyota and at least one convertible model will be realistic," Tada said. "There are many articles regarding another sports model from Toyota up higher from 86—I'm thinking convertible model will be on higher model ... maybe."

Tada went on to explain that a convertible version of the GT 86 could be built, as the previous FT-86 Open concept has shown, but a viable business case can’t be found. A previous Toyota exec said poor sales of the GT 86 meant Toyota was unlikely to launch additional variants of the car.

A convertible version of the Supra successor certainly makes more sense for Toyota from a purely financial viewpoint. Buyers of the Supra successor are likely to be more willing to accept a higher premium for a convertible than those in the market for a GT 86. There’s also the fact that Toyota is developing the new platform for its Supra successor with BMW, which will likely it use it for a successor to its Z4 roadster, meaning a convertible design will already be implemented.

In his interview with Drive, Tada said the design of the Supra successor is yet to be finalized but more details would be revealed in the future.

Toyota has teamed up with BMW to develop a new sports car platform that will underpin a new Supra from the Japanese automaker and a replacement for the Z4 from the German side. BMW is thought to be doing most of the development work for the platform and engines that will power the cars, in return for hybrid and fuel cell technology from Toyota.

Citing an inside source at Toyota, Japanese magazine Holiday Auto (via Motoring) claims the new Supra will feature a complex hybrid system combining a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine sourced from BMW with a trio of electric motors. In similar fashion to Acura’s new NSX, the new Supra will feature an electric motor at each of the front wheels and a third electric motor integrated with the engine and transmission.

The setup was previewed in last year’s Yaris Hybrid-R concept and a beefier version is featured in Toyota’s TS040 Hybrid Le Mans prototype. Incredibly, the setup relies on a supercapacitor to store electrical energy and this is expected to feature in the new Supra. A charging port will allow owners to plug the car into an electrical outlet, making the new Supra a plug-in hybrid. Peak output of the system is expected to be more than 350 horsepower, which might not sound like much but you have to factor in that the target weight for the car is less than 3,086 pounds.

Despite a previous report claiming the BMW sports car will also get the technology, it’s now thought that the new Supra will be the only recipient. This makes sense in terms of vehicle differentiation: Toyota goes the all-wheel-drive, hybrid route for the new Supra, while BMW sticks with conventional powertrains (in-line four- and six-cylinder units) and rear-wheel drive for its Z4 replacement. Note, some suggest the Z4 replacement will be badged a Z5 to reflect its higher positioning in the BMW lineup and to leave room for a potential smaller roadster.

Both cars are expected to be revealed before 2017. Not much is known about the styling of the BMW, but for the Supra we can expect a look inspired by the lines of the FT-1 concept car unveiled earlier this year.

The setup was previewed in last year’s Yaris Hybrid-R concept and a beefier version is featured in Toyota’s TS040 Hybrid Le Mans prototype. Incredibly, the setup relies on a supercapacitor to store electrical energy and this is expected to feature in the new Supra. A charging port will allow owners to plug the car into an electrical outlet, making the new Supra a plug-in hybrid. Peak output of the system is expected to be more than 350 horsepower, which might not sound like much but you have to factor in that the target weight for the car is less than 3,086 pounds.

New details have emerged about the Toyota Supra successor set to come out in the following years.

Co-developed with BMW, Toyota's new Supra design still hasn't been finalized but Japan's Holiday Auto magazine says very few styling cues will be borrowed from the FT-1 concept pictured here. BMW will allegedly be in charge of providing the car's engine, a 4-cylinder direct-injection 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline unit working with a gearbox also supplied by the Bavarians.

As previously rumored, the conventional engine will be teamed up with Toyota's supercapacitor technology which will make the reinvented Supra a plug-in hybrid capable of providing a combined output of 354 PS (260 kW). The model will be available exclusively with this hardware setup which will encompass three electric motors developed by Toyota and built by BMW, with two of them mounted at the front and featuring a torque vectoring mechanism while a third motor will be installed in the rear.

Initially, it was believed the all-new Supra would have a rear-wheel drive layout but as it turns out the car will likely pack an AWD arrangement with power being sent through a new dual-clutch automated manual transmission. The vehicle has a targeted curb weight of less than 1,400 kg (3,086 lbs) and will obviously be positioned above the GT86 and should cost considerably more.

The Toyota Supra reboot is expected to come out within the next three years.

Toyota is working with BMW on a new sports car platform that will eventually be used by the Japanese automaker for a Supra successor, which has been previewed by the series of FT-1 concept cars. BMW has been quiet on its plans for the platform but is currently thought to be using it for a replacement for its Z4. While both cars are still a couple of years away—their respective reveals should take place before 2017—we now have some information that may hint at the price tags we can expect for them.

Car and Driver, citing an inside source, is reporting that Toyota’s new sports car will likely cost more than a Corvette, which starts at about $55k with shipping. This would make sense if Toyota’s new sports car comes with an advanced hybrid system, as is the rumored case, but would seem rather expensive if the car ends up getting a more conventional powertrain.

This also raises the question of what kind of money BMW’s new sports car will demand. It’s very likely that the BMW will sell at a premium to the Toyota but such pricing would make the car more of a rival for the Jaguar F-Type and entry-level Porsche 911 variants than a direct replacement for the Z4, which starts at just below $50k.

If accurate, then BMW’s new sports car is likely to be positioned higher than the current Z4, which would tie in with reports that the new car may be labeled a Z5 and feature improved performance in line with its higher positioning.

Stay tuned for an update.

Car and Driver, citing an inside source, is reporting that Toyota’s new sports car will likely cost more than a Corvette, which starts at about $55k with shipping. This would make sense if Toyota’s new sports car comes with an advanced hybrid system, as is the rumored case, but would seem rather expensive if the car ends up getting a more conventional powertrain.