What's the news?
It's almost certain now that Toyota's new sports car, on which it's working with BMW, will be called the Supra. The last Supra, the A80 model, went out of production in 2002, but was favourably compared with some Porsche models at the time.
Speaking with Australian website Car Advice, Toyota's chief of engineering, Tetsuya Tada, has said that: "I love the Supra and I love the name Supra. It's historically important to Toyota. We're pushing for the name Supra for the new car we are developing with BMW."
Well, that sounds like confirmation to us. The Supra MkV will be based on a front-mid engined platform (where the engine is front-mounted but fitted in behind the front axle for better weight distribution) which will be shared with BMW's new Z5 sports car, and potentially with a replacement for the current 6 Series coupe, which is rumoured to be lighter, more agile and more of a rival for Porsche's 911.
Power will likely come from a new twin-turbo V6 engine being developed jointly by Toyota and Lexus, while BMW will use its own powerplants. There will almost certainly be some form of hybrid drive as well, although not necessarily on all models.
The new Supra is due to go on sale next year. Expect the styling to be heavily influenced by the FT-1 concept car (pictured).