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Same same but different
2018 Toyota Supra

After being discontinued since 2002, it looks like Toyota’s much-loved Supra is set to return. A recent article on Autocar revealed that the FT-1 Concept announced back in 2014 has become the inspiration of the new Supra, which will be launched in 2018 as a hybrid, and the new sports car is the offspring of the automaker’s joint project with BMW.

The joint sports car project began in 2012 and the two manufacturers have moved on to test their respective models. As BMW is busy finalising the details with the convertible Z5, the long-awaited Supra would probably sit above the GT 86 and become Toyota’s flagship performance model. It is believed that the Supra will be powered by a hybrid all-wheel drive composed of BMW’s gas engine and electric motors fuelled by fast-charging supercapacitors.

The two models may share a lot of similarities, yet finding their own spot in the market should not be a problem. “The one thing we’re clear on now is that a platform for both companies can work,” said Dr. Ian Robertson, board member of BMW. “The cars in themselves don’t actually need to be positioned the same. The platform can spawn two positionings.” There are still a couple of years before the launch of the new Supra, and we shall see if Toyota would further add their signature into the model.

Previously /