Toyota and BMW are allegedly making ready to go their separate methods. In accordance with Greatest Automobile, a Japanese publication, Toyota will finish its collaboration with BMW for the next-generation GR Supra, anticipated to reach in 2027. As a substitute of counting on BMW’s engines and platform, the sixth-generation Supra will use a Toyota-developed 2.0-liter turbocharged hybrid four-cylinder engine, producing round 400 horsepower.
The present A90 Supra, launched in 2019, shares a lot of its {hardware} with the BMW Z4—together with the inline-six engine, chassis, and electronics. Each vehicles are constructed on the Magna Steyr plant in Graz, Austria. The choice to work collectively allowed Toyota to revive the Supra nameplate with out constructing an all-new platform from scratch. It additionally gave BMW the prospect to construct a more cost effective low quantity roadster that its neighborhood loves.
A Clear Break
Toyota’s Gazoo Racing division, which oversaw the collaboration with BMW, is shifting ahead with an in-house method. The brand new Supra will reportedly experience on a Toyota-developed rear-wheel-drive platform and ditch BMW’s B58 inline-six in favor of a hybridized 2.0-liter unit. It’s a lighter setup and higher fitted to future emissions requirements. There have additionally been rumors that Toyota examined a model of the automotive with a Mazda-sourced inline-six—the identical e-Skyactiv G engine used within the CX-70—however Greatest Automobile studies that weight and packaging issues possible dominated it out. Toyota’s smaller four-cylinder hybrid seems to be the path they’re committing to.
Ultimate Editions Mark the Finish of the A90
Earlier than manufacturing ends, Toyota is releasing limited-run Ultimate Version Supras in each Japan and the U.S. The Japanese model, priced at roughly $101,000, makes 434 horsepower and was restricted to 300 items. All offered out shortly. The U.S. model launched on the Lengthy Seashore Grand Prix in April 2025 with 382 horsepower—matching the usual 3.0-liter mannequin—and included suspension tweaks, aerodynamic modifications, and the choice for a handbook gearbox. Simply 100 had been constructed, priced at $69,085.
Whereas Toyota designed the Ultimate Version, it was nonetheless constructed by BMW at Magna Steyr. Inside BMW, in accordance with sources, there had been temporary discussions about launching in the previous couple of years a high-performance Z4 M utilizing both the Supra’s uprated B58 or the complete S58 engine from the M3, however these plans had been shelved.
BMW’s Z4 Future Nonetheless Unclear
The BMW Z4, which has all the time performed second fiddle to the Supra by way of gross sales, can be nearing the top of its run. Initially anticipated to exit of manufacturing in October 2025, BMW has now prolonged the G29’s life till March 2026.
As of now, BMW hasn’t confirmed a successor. If there’s a next-gen Z4, it’s going to possible proceed on a model of the CLAR platform. However even when it will get the inexperienced mild, don’t count on it earlier than 2029. Growth cycles for low-volume sports activities vehicles are lengthy, and manufacturing capability stays a problem. BMW doesn’t construct the Z4 in-house, and with no associate like Toyota, persevering with the venture might be tough to justify.
For now, the ultimate Z4s and Supras mark the top of a uncommon collaboration within the sports activities automotive world—one which gave fanatics two distinct, if mechanically associated, machines.
[Source: Best Car via Forbes]
