Working together between various automakers is not uncommon. Cost and production time savings, as well as the utilization of shared technologies and resources, are frequent advantages of collaboration. Ford has already partnered with Mazda, Toyota has done it with Subaru, and BMW is currently collaborating with Jaguar Land Rover on electrification technology. Toyota and BMW have a long-standing cooperation that recently gave rise to the most recent version of the revered Supra, Toyota’s illustrious mid-sized sports car.
The new Supra, which is now in its fifth generation, doesn’t resemble the BMW Z4 with which it shares parts at all. It has fascinating shapes and pointed-looking headlights, whilst the Z4 has a curvier, more rounder style. The Supra’s bold dimensions can look a little off-putting from certain perspectives. It also sports a distinctive front fascia, as opposed to the safer, more traditional BMW look of the Z4’s.
Even though both vehicles are two-door sports cars, the Supra has a hardtop while the Z4 is only available as a convertible.
However, the new Supra contains a sizable amount of components with BMW stamps underneath. For instance, the inline-six engine came from BMW, but Toyota’s engineers tweaked it especially for the Supra. The chassis is identical to the Z4’s, and BMW likewise provides the eight-speed automatic transmission. The Magna Steyr facility in Graz, Austria, produces both vehicles.
The cooperation makes sense both economically and culturally. Toyota understood it had to offer the new Supra a straight-six engine in order to maintain the tradition set by earlier iterations of the Supra.
So instead of spending the time and money necessary to design and construct its own new straight-six, Toyota opted to use BMW’s.
According to Motor Trend, BMW decided against building a new version of a low-volume convertible because the costs associated with doing so would have been too high. BMW was able to release the new Z4 and the new Supra last year thanks in part to financial support from Toyota.
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The first task was to get a straight-six engine when Toyota decided to give a new sports car the illustrious “Supra” label. Why? because customer surveys revealed it was a necessity given that the inline-six engine was present in all four of the car’s prior incarnations. The simplest method to get one was to sign a contract with BMW and purchase their 3.0-liter engine, which is found in the Z4 M40i and the new M340i. Toyota chose against creating its own straight-six, which disappointed purists but was a smart business decision given that the Supra won’t be a high-volume vehicle.
Similar to other crucial components from BMW, including the eight-speed transmission and the chassis, the engine with Bavarian roots has been modified specifically for the Supra by Toyota’s specialists. The two businesses have vowed that their sports vehicles will have individual identities that go beyond the various body styles, while sharing quite a few elements. Since we’ve seen the new Z4 and a clear picture of the Supra, we can be certain that their exterior designs won’t be similar in any way.
Returning to the test drive event interview, Tada made a suggestion that future Gazoo Racing cars might feature engines created by Toyota’s go-faster division. These will be brand-new engines as opposed to more powerful versions of current engines, and they’ll probably work with electrification for an added boost and lower emissions.
2020 Toyota Supra vs. 2020 BMW Z4 M40i: Stepsibling Rivalry
Yes, we are aware. Underneath the new Toyota Supra is a BMW. You don’t have to keep feigning shock over it. The mere discovery of a BMW emblem on a component under the Supra’s hood does not constitute proof of a plot. The BMW Code is not a book that Dan Brown will pen.
Both BMW and Toyota have been very open about their agreement: Toyota sent a sizable check, while BMW supplied the mechanical components for the most recent Z4 and the Supra. The Supra, though, makes it clear that Toyota has designed its own swoopy hardtop version of these brothers from separate moms. However, do let us know if you discover any Toyota-branded items inside the Z4’s engine. We’ll start a thorough inquiry. Otherwise, let’s determine once and for all which of these two nearly identically sized, nearly identically performing two-seat sports vehicles utilizes the same fundamental components more effectively. Be aware that a coupe and a roadster aren’t typically comparable. But then again, we also wouldn’t typically compare a Toyota to a BMW.
A fan of the new Supra? Thank you, BMW, and Toyota Mirai
To put it mildly, there has been controversy around the Toyota Supra’s reintroduction. Many of the brand’s most devoted supporters, notably die-hard Mk IV Supra devotees, feel deceived by the vehicle’s BMW foundation. Yes, it is blisteringly quick, and yes, it has a cool appearance. But why wouldn’t Toyota create its own sports car rather than redesign a hard-top Z4 and add a vintage badge? Strangely enough, the Toyota Mirai has the solution to this query.
But before we do that, it’s important to keep in mind that Toyota doesn’t want to make the same mistakes twice. The Mk IV Supra from the mid-1990s and the 2012 Lexus LFA, the company’s previous two all-out sports cars, were commercial failures and underwhelming sellers. Toyota now much prefers to assign any project that it deems dangerous to other businesses. For instance, the Yaris iA was a Mazda2, and the Toyota 86 is rather similar to a Subaru.
It is not unexpected that the Supra is the result of another such collaboration. The latest information that the entire Supra and Z4 project is the outcome of corporate horse dealing over the Mirai’s hydrogen and hybrid technology, however, is the most shocking. Actually, BMW was the company that initially approached Toyota in an effort to secure a contract for access to this technology, which made its public debut under Munich’s auspices with the 2020 I Hydrogen Next concept (basically an X5 powered by fuel cells that is scheduled for 2022 production).
The information was provided to us by Jason Cammisa of Hagerty, who recently examined the history of the Supra/Z4 project. Before Toyota offered the Supra in exchange for hydrogen and hybrid Synergy Drive technology, BMW was unlikely to even move forward with a Z4 sports car. However, the prospect of a convertible Supra being produced alongside the hardtop Supra at Magna-Steyr in Austria may have provided enough economies of scale for both models to be produced.
For more information and some spectacular on-track antics with the lovely BMW M2 CS tossed in for good measure, check out the video below.
The Toyota Supra is a BMW, right?
By this point, everyone is pretty much in agreement that the new Toyota Supra is really a BMW Z4 dressed up in very chic Japanese garb. Some enthusiasts despise such fact, believing that BMW killed the Supra. Others are awed by its performance and realize that BMW’s assistance was essential to its creation. Could BMW, however, have made the Supra any better than it already was? Is thinking about such things even blasphemous? Top Gear’s newest video aims to answer that question.
In this new video, Becky Evans of Top Gear compares the A90 Toyota Supra, often known as the “Zupra,” to the venerable A80 “Mk4” Toyota Supra. The latter was always adored among Supra enthusiasts, but the Fast and Furious movie series helped it become legendary. Is it really as renown as many claim, or has everyone’s perception been tainted by nostalgia? Evans tests both vehicles side-by-side on Top Gear’s test track to find out before giving them to The Stig to record lap times.
The automobiles scarcely resemble one another underneath, however they do have a similar engine type. Both cars use 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six engines, despite having a 20-year gap between them and being produced by separate firms. Naturally, the newer A80 uses a BMW B58 engine, which is likewise very adjustable and amazing in its own right, while the older A80 employs a Toyota 2JZ engine, the venerable, incredibly customizable straight-six.
In this video, the older Supra’s engine is tweaked and produces a very healthy 520 horsepower, which is far higher than the 374 horsepower of the BMW-Supra (382 horsepower in North America). But unlike the outdated four-speed auto featured in the earlier Supra, the new Supra has an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission, which is far better. Let’s face it, despite having less power, the new Supra was undoubtedly faster on the track. It was far more capable due to its better grip and speedier gearbox. But the real query is, which would you like to own?
Does the Toyota Supra have a BMW motor?
The turbocharged B48 2.0-liter inline-four or the turbocharged B58 3.0-liter inline-six are the two BMW-sourced engine options for the Supra. Japan, a few Asian nations, and Europe were the first markets where the 2.0-liter engine was made available; the United States acquired the engine in 2020 for the 2021 model year.
What would the Supra look like in a BMW?
Which one would enthusiasts prefer, despite the fact that both cars have excellent handling and amazing sound?
Some Toyota purists were aware that the fifth-generation Supra will effectively be a BMW with a Toyota badge when BMW and Toyota announced their agreement to develop the next-generation Supra a few years ago. Even though this is somewhat true, the automotive press and automobile fans continue to appreciate the fifth-generation Toyota Supra.
It is impossible to avoid comparing the Supra to the best of Bavaria because of the shared components with BMW. All of these comparisons—the Toyota Supra vs a BMW M4, a BMW Z4, or a BMW M2 Competition—are good illustrations of the parallels and discrepancies between the brands.
The BMW M240i is one of BMW’s top rivals to the Toyota GR Supra. After all, they are both 2022 sports cars with the exact same inline 6-cylinder turbocharged engine producing 382 horsepower in each. In a TheStraightPipes YouTube video, Jakub and Yuri compete against a 2022 Toyota GR Supra and a next generation BMW M240i.
Is the engine in the BMW and Supra the same?
The 3.0-liter inline-six turbocharged engine in the all-wheel-drive BMW M240i XDrive produces 382 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. The M240i’s engine is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, which is the only way to change ratios. The vehicle is a quick compact car from the firm that creates the ideal driving machine, weighing in at 3,871 lbs.
The same 3.0-liter inline-six turbocharged BMW engine that powers the Toyota GR Supra produces 382 horses and 369 lb-ft of torque. The Supra is a two-door coupe, just like the BMW, and it features an eight-speed automatic transmission and the same engine with the same power numbers.
The fact that the BMW has all-wheel drive and the Toyota has rear-wheel drive is the main distinction between the two vehicles. The Supra weighs 3,400 lbs., which makes it lighter than the BWM. Even though enthusiasts frequently prefer rear-wheel-drive vehicles, the Toyota’s rear-wheel-drive system may not be as advantageous on the track if it is unable to gain enough grip.
It’s time to race and discover which automobile prevails once the specifications of both vehicles have been covered and their commonalities examined.
The Supra is a mere BMW Z4?
Two designs, one engine The Supra and the Z4 are distinguished from one another by their radically dissimilar designs, while having the same powertrain and chassis and being two-seater compact sports cars. According to both manufacturers, codesigning ended with the chassis, therefore each body design is distinct.
Why did Toyota stop the Supra?
Supra manufacturing is stopped However, because to poor sales, Toyota ultimately decided to stop producing the Supra in North America in 1998. Toyota ceased making the Supra in 2002 because it didn’t comply with Japan’s revised fuel-efficiency standards.