[GoingTooFast]

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Supra Successor Could Arrive in 2017, Concept Later This Year

The latest speculation from Toyota City about the Toyota Supra successor suggests that the flagship car may be powered by a turbocharged 2.5-liter I-4 hybrid producing at least 400 hp. Toyota may reveal the Supra production car late in 2017, though we could see a concept version as soon as this year’s Tokyo Motor Show.

The recently signed agreement between BMW and Toyota will form the backbone to the development of the Supra successor, a coupe that will be based on the Toyota GT86 platform. One insider informs that the BMW Z4 successor will use a revised version of this platform, as well. While the Supra successor will incorporate a reinforced version of the GT86’s platform to cope with the extra horses, our source tells us that the body will be bigger than the GT86 and feature a design inspired by the FT-HS hybrid concept car that debuted at the 2007 Detroit auto show. A rendering of what a future Toyota Supra successor is shown above; the Toyota FT-HS concept hybrid is pictured at right and below.

Unlike the Scion FR-S’ Subaru-derived boxer 2.0-liter I-4, our source indicates that the most likely engine that will end up propelling the new sports car will be a Toyota-built turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid generating upwards of 400 hp. Even so, a mid-mounted 3.5-liter V-6 hybrid remains a possibility.

GT86 chief engineer Tetsuya Tada – who also happens to be the head of the Supra successor project – is working to create a concept car for this year’s Tokyo Motor Show, a car with a planned debut of late 2017. As we noted in late November, Tada has admitted that Akio Toyoda has asked him to develop the car “as soon as possible.”

We are told that BMW will help with the suspension settings and handling of the new Toyota. Meanwhile, our source also tells us that BMW, which will also use a beefed up version of the GT86 platform for its Z4 update, is testing a BMW-built V-6 hybrid unit that delivers similar power to the Supra successor.

http://wot.motortrend.com/report-toy...#axzz2KbdjvB3T