Report: Toyota Supra Successor May Get 400-HP Turbo 2.5L I-4 Hybrid Powertrain

Supra Successor Could Arrive in 2017, Concept Later This Year

Written by: Peter Lyon on February 11 2013 7:30 AM



The latest speculation from Toyota City about the Toyota Supra successor suggests that the flagship car may be powered by a turbocharged 2.5-liter I-4 hybrid producing at least 400 hp. Toyota may reveal the Supra production car late in 2017, though we could see a concept version as soon as this year’s Tokyo Motor Show.

Toyota FT HS concept front side view 300x187 imageThe recently signed agreement between BMW and Toyota will form the backbone to the development of the Supra successor, a coupe that will be based on the Toyota GT86 platform. One insider informs that the BMW Z4 successor will use a revised version of this platform, as well. While the Supra successor will incorporate a reinforced version of the GT86’s platform to cope with the extra horses, our source tells us that the body will be bigger than the GT86 and feature a design inspired by the FT-HS hybrid concept car that debuted at the 2007 Detroit auto show. A rendering of what a future Toyota Supra successor is shown above; the Toyota FT-HS concept hybrid is pictured at right and below.

Unlike the Scion FR-S’ Subaru-derived boxer 2.0-liter I-4, our source indicates that the most likely engine that will end up propelling the new sports car will be a Toyota-built turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid generating upwards of 400 hp. Even so, a mid-mounted 3.5-liter V-6 hybrid remains a possibility.

GT86 chief engineer Tetsuya Tada – who also happens to be the head of the Supra successor project – is working to create a concept car for this year’s Tokyo Motor Show, a car with a planned debut of late 2017. As we noted in late November, Tada has admitted that Akio Toyoda has asked him to develop the car “as soon as possible.”

We are told that BMW will help with the suspension settings and handling of the new Toyota. Meanwhile, our source also tells us that BMW, which will also use a beefed up version of the GT86 platform for its Z4 update, is testing a BMW-built V-6 hybrid unit that delivers similar power to the Supra successor.

When the Mercedes-Benz Vision Gran Turismo concept made its debut at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show, it was revealed that the stunning supercar was just one of a handful of concepts commissioned by the creators of Gran Turismo for the sixth instalment of the popular video game.
Another is believed to be this concept from Toyota, whose profile looks very much like that of a modern-day Supra. The image was posted on French websiteAutoPlus, which claims it is an official teaser from Toyota.

We’ll have to wait until Toyota finally reveals its new concept to find out more, though the wait may not be long as the Japanese automaker is reported to be planning a new concept previewing a potential Supra successor for next month’s Detroit Auto Show.

Toyota was close to launching a successor to the MkIV Supra late last decade. It was at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show that the automaker unveiled the FT-HS hybrid sports car concept, which featured a hybrid drivetrain with more than 400 horsepower. Then the financial crisis hit and plans for a production version were put on hold.

Though a number of years have passed since then, there are still many within Toyota that want a Supra-like sports car, including new chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada.

Reports out of Australia say that the stunning Toyota FT-1 supercar revealed in Detroit will be the next Supra. In addition, Toyota plans to release another entry-level sports car slotting below the Toyota 86/Scion FR-S.

According to Motoring.co.au, the mandate comes from CEO and noted sports car enthusiast (and sometimes race car driver) Akio Toyoda himself. At the Detroit Auto show last month it was revealed that Toyoda decreed his company's products be invigorated with wakidoki, a Japanese word meaning "a palpable, heart-pounding sense of excitement."

A new sports car division has been established within the company, headed by Tetsuya Tada, chief engineer of the FR-S. Tada says that the two sports cars is just the start, and that a whole new range of sports cars will be added to the Toyota portfolio starting in 2016.

As the FT-1 transitions from concept to production, its aggressive lines and scoops will toned down, sources say. Two engines are currently being considered, a base 2.0-liter turbo four shared with the upcoming Lexus NX and a 2.5-liter turbo V6 hybrid capable of 402hp for the top shelf model. The price is expected to come in below $100,000 and could go on sale by 2016.

The entry-level sports car, on the other hand, will run a 1.5-liter hybrid. The price is expected to come in at just $16,000 with an on-sale date sometime in 2017.

Reports out of Australia

Did Toyota Confirm That The FT-1 Concept Is The New Supra?

UPDATE: Well, that was fast. Toyota got back to us, and while we're waiting to get some sort of official in-writing response, they're holding fast to the company line, at least here in the US. It is, as of this moment, a design study only, according to a company spokesperson.

The FT-1 concept launched at last month's Detroit Auto Show gave us the clearest idea yet of what a new Toyota Supra might look like--one of the motoring world's most eagerly-anticipated sports cars. While Toyota didn't reveal it at the time, it's now pretty much confirmed that the FT-1 will--with a few tweaks here and there--become the next generation of the famous sports car lineage.

What was less clear is whether Toyota would resurrect the Supra name itself, but a new trademark filing, first spotted by The Motor Report, pretty much guarantees it. Filed on February 10 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Toyota has registered the character mark "Supra". It's a sign that not only will buyers likely see the powerful front-engined, rear-drive sports car they've been waiting for from Toyota soon, but it should carry the right name too, revered from Japanese Super GT through Gran Turismo games through Fast & Furious films.

The production Supra is rumored to offer two drivetrains; a turbocharged four-cylinder and a hybrid model utilizing a 2.5-liter V-6 and electric motor combo, developing more than 400 horsepower. It'll also be a rear-drive, transaxle vehicle, and could potentially sit on a new sports car platform being co-developed with BMW. The new Supra will sit at the top of a three-tier tree of Toyota sports cars, above the GT 86/FR-S and an upcoming smaller sports car.