We have good news for the sports car fanatics as Toyota and BMW have confirmed their partnership for the development of their next generation sports car. BMW will be launching Z5 – the successor of Z4 – after its life cycle completion, whereas Toyota will be unearthing its blockbuster Supra model of the yesteryears.
The Toyota Supra will be featuring a hybrid technology involving a twin turbocharged V6 engine (codenamed 943F) and an electric drive system charged through conventional batteries based energy storage churning out over 500 horsepower.
The Z5 (codenamed G29) looks all geared up towards having a signature BMW inline 6 engine without any electric drive system signaling the company’s plans to limit Z5 as a conventional ride only. A soft roof will be taking the place of Z4’s retractable hard roof according to some spied shots.
There has been no official information from Toyota and BMW, but the Austrian newspaper ‘Kleine Zeitung’ has reported that the models will be developed at a facility near Graz by Canadian owned Magna Steyr. Approximately 60,000 two door sports cars belonging to the two models will be manufactured in 2018 according to the newspaper.
How the two models will retain their individuality after getting developed through a common platform still remains to be seen.