These new Toyota Supra spy pictures offer the best glimpse of the 2017 model’s design yet, as the car can be seen with its production bodywork for the first time.
Previous development cars had bumpers shared with the BMW Z5 development car, but today’s Supra features a more prominent front bumper with three grille openings, and the outline of its horizontal taillights can also be seen. The look is a toned-down version of the FT-1 concept, with a coupé roofline – a distinct difference from the Z5, which has a soft-top hood.
Sharing the same platform, following the announcement of an extended partnership between Toyota and BMW, the Supra is expected to arrive in 2018 shortly after its Z5 counterpart.
Both models will have a hybrid four-wheel drive set-up incorporating a BMW petrol engine and electric motors with energy stored in supercapacitors.
The Supra is also expected to benefit from BMW’s carbonfibre architecture from its current i3, i8 and 7 Series.
The model is the long-awaited successor to Toyota’s discontinued coupé, production of which ended in 2002. the new Supra takes inspiration from the FT-1 concept shown in Detroit in 2014 (below) and will sit above the GT86 in Toyota’s line-up, making it the Japanese brand’s flagship sports car. It will also be considerably more expensive than the GT86, which is priced from £25,495, due to the Supra’s advanced powertrain and construction.
Toyota previously hinted at a performance hybrid model in 2013, with the Yaris Hybrid-R, which used a 414bhp set-up comprising a 1.6-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor on each rear wheel.
A supercapacitor, originally developed for Toyota’s TS030 Hybrid Le Mans car for energy storage, which will be used in the Supra. Since Toyota hasn’t used the technology it previewed on the Yaris Hybrid R yet, it’s quite likely that we’ll see more of it used on the Supra.
Source: http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/2017-toyota-supra-spotted-production-bodywork