The BMW Z4 has reached the end of its life cycle, which means it’s time for a replacement, and Toyota inexplicably forgot to conceive a successor to the iconic Supra when that model was discontinued a decade and a half ago. Both of the automakers have teamed up on new sports cars—but they won’t exactly be Japanese or German.
BMW and Toyota have remained admirably officially silent on the progress of their joint venture, but an Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung, has reported that both the Z4 replacement and the reborn Supra will be built by the Canadian-owned Magna Steyr operation near Graz. The newspaper insists about 60,000 of the two-door sports cars will begin rolling out of the plant annually in 2018, which means there isn’t much time left in the cars’ gestation.
The new car won’t be heavier than the Z4, though, with BMW slated to resurrect the original Z4’s cloth-roof roadster layout, ditching the beefy and more difficult-to-package folding metal roof of the latest car. BMW also is promising a coupe version of the Z5, and our sources suggest it will be sold with both four- and six-cylinder power and offer a performance-oriented hybrid system to better its acceleration numbers.
Related: 2018 Toyota Supra Spied Testing
The inline six-cylinder engines will be variations of BMW’s existing turbocharged 3.0-liter family; the fours will belong to the next generation of BMW’s 2.0-liter unit, which will debut in Europe this fall. The Supra also will use a four-cylinder engine in the basic versions, but it won’t be sourced from BMW. Its higher-performance engine will be an all-new twin-turbo V-6, code-named 943F and allegedly making around 400 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque.
BMW and the Toyota may share transmissions, albeit with different ratios, and that their multilink rear suspensions and differential housings in their cars would be similar.
Today, the Z4 is the slowest-selling BMW model, but the tie-up with Toyota has slashed the development costs of its replacement while upping the tempo on technology. “We will occupy the segment once more,” BMW CEO Harald Krueger said earlier this year. “It’s not big, but it’s important for the strength of the brand. BMW has a long roadster tradition.” The Magna plant in Graz also builds the Mercedes-Benz G-wagon and assembled 103,904 vehicles in 2015; in addition to these sports cars, it will add a model for Jaguar next year.
A computer animation professional with over 23 years of industry experience having served in leading organizations, TV channels & production facilities in Pakistan. An avid car enthusiast and petrolhead with an affection to deliver quality content to help shape opinions. Formerly written for PakWheels as well as major publications including Dawn. Founder of CarSpiritPK.com
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