Toyota’s Europe division has a new logo and branding that removes the automaker’s name and flattens its previous, 3D design in favor of a more straightforward, 2D mark composed of three overlapping ovals. The new logo and branding were developed by the company The&Partnership.
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Exactly who made the Toyota Supra?
Beginning in 1978, the Toyota Motor Corporation produced the Toyota Supra, also known as the Toyota Spura in Japanese and Hepburn. The Latin prefix supra, which means “above,” “to transcend,” or “go beyond,” is the source of the name “supra.” [3]
The first four Supra models were built between 1978 and 2002. Since March 2019, the fifth generation has been produced, and it debuted in May 2019. [4] The original Supra’s style was based on the Toyota Celica, but it was also wider and longer. [5] Beginning in the middle of 1986, the A70 Supra split off from the Celica as a standalone model. Toyota, in turn, discontinued using the prefix Celica and changed the name of the vehicle to Supra. [6] Due to their names’ resemblance and shared history, the Celica and Supra are commonly confused with one another. The Tahara facility in Tahara, Aichi, produced the first, second, and third generations of the Supra, while the Motomachi plant in Toyota City produced the fourth. In Graz, Austria, Magna Steyr assembles the fifth-generation Supra alongside the G29 BMW Z4.
Due to an inline-6 architecture, the Supra also owes a lot of its DNA to the 2000GT. The M engine from the Crown and 2000GT was made available for the first three generations. Additionally comparable were interior design features and the chassis code “A”.
Toyota gave the Supra its own logo in addition to the moniker. It was based on the original Celica logo, except that blue was used in place of orange. Before the A70 Supra was unveiled in January 1986, this logo was in use. The new logo was the same size, but it did not have the dragon motif. It had orange letters on a red background. Up until 1991, when Toyota moved to its current oval business emblem, that logo was affixed to Supras. (Regardless of color, the dragon logo was a Celica logo. Due to the fact that the first two generations of the Supra were legally Toyota Celicas, it was present on them. The Celica line had a dragon logo until it was likewise retired.) [Reference needed]
Toyota stopped selling the fourth-generation Supra in the United States in 1998.
[6] The fourth generation of the Supra’s production for international markets came to an end in 2002.
The fifth version of the Supra, which was jointly developed with the G29 Z4, was released in January 2019.
[7]
Was BMW involved in the Supra’s design?
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, which Toyota engineers specifically modified for the Supra, is derived from BMW. 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.
The Toyota Supra was created where?
The Magna Steyr plant in Graz, Austria, produced the fifth generation of the Toyota Supra, which is the most recent model. Magna Steyr is a car manufacturer that works on a contract basis to create automobiles for luxury brands.
In reality, Magna Steyr was also producing the GZ BMW Z4 at the same time as the fifth-generation Supra.
Previous Supra versions were produced by Toyota in Japan. At its Tahara plant in Aichi, Japan, Toyota built the first, second, and third models of the Supra.
In Toyota City, Aichi, Japan, the Motomachi facility created the fourth generation of the Supra.
The latest Toyota Supra—is it a BMW?
In case you somehow didn’t know, the new Supra is essentially a BMW Z4 on the inside. It has a BMW drivetrain, interior, and parts. It is propelled by a B58 twin-turbo straight-six engine from BMW. The M440i xDrive also has the same straight-six engine.
The Supra’s engine is it a BMW?
The brand-new Toyota Supra is propelled by a BMW engine, which is no secret. That has been widely publicized for at least a year. However, there are currently two BMW engines available for the Supra: a 255 horsepower version of the BMW B48 2.0 liter turbo-four and a 382 horsepower version of the BMW B58 3.0 liter turbocharged inline-six. What needs to be determined is which one is superior.
That question can appear absurd on its face. Of course, the engine with the most power is the best engine. Right? Well, perhaps not. Both have advantages and disadvantages, thus it’s possible to argue that the Toyota Supra is better off with the smaller engine. In this brand-new Everyday Driver video, we get to see which is superior.
Even if the 2.0 version has less power, it might be the one to buy for a particular reason that seems to have slipped the packaging’s notice. The new Toyota Supra 2.0T is often praised by enthusiasts for being lighter (it weighs roughly 200 lbs less), and the smaller engine plays a significant role in that. The location of the engine itself, rather than the engine’s smaller weight, is what makes a difference.
The size of the 2.0 liter turbocharged four-cylinder allows Toyota to position it so far back in the engine compartment that the entire engine is behind the center line of the front axle. In essence, it is a front-mid-engine vehicle. Ferrari asserts that its vehicles with the same package are front-mid engines even if it is still listed as a front-engine vehicle. We’re going to call it that because it’s cooler.
The Toyota Supra can turn in considerably more quickly thanks to the revised packaging since there is simply much less weight in front of the front wheels. The weight is higher inboard than in the six-cylinder variant, making it turn in better and spin slightly better around corners, similar to a mid-engine car. Even while it’s not technically in the middle, the effects of relocating the engine so far inboard are very close to doing so.
So, even though the Toyota Supra 3.0 is still a fantastic car and has a greater engine, the 2.0 model has a slightly better feel. The experience of testing these cars firsthand will be incredibly intriguing.
Why did Toyota commission BMW to build the Supra?
BMW’s involvement, according to Toyota’s performance chief, was compelled by necessity in part because BMW possessed the tools required by Toyota for the Supra, particularly Bimmer’s roaring 3.0-liter inline-six engine.
Exactly why did Toyota hire BMW to build the Supra?
The head of Toyota’s performance division claims that BMW’s cooperation was forced upon it in part because it had the components required for the Supra, namely Bimmer’s roaring 3.0-liter inline-six engine.
The Supra is a mere BMW Z4?
Under their epidermis, they are identical twins with distinguished names. But should you choose the German roadster or the Japanese coupe if you only have roughly $90,000 to spend?
Nowadays, making an economic case for a sports vehicle is more difficult than ever, so it’s not hard to imagine that neither the third-generation BMW Z4 nor the fifth-generation Toyota Supra would have been possible without cooperation between the two automakers.
Thankfully, two illustrious automotive traditions—including one that dates back to the 1930s with BMW’s roadsters—remain intact. And in conventional shape, without any attempt to undergo a horrifying crossover mutation to entice SUV enthusiasts (hello Ford Mustang Mach-E).
Since the last Supra was delivered in 2002, BMW’s open-top sports vehicle has gone by the name Z3, even though both models’ production came to an end in the same year. The Supra is back for a number of very excellent reasons, including Toyota’s success with the 86 compact sports coupe, another collaborative venture with Subaru, and the fervent cries of Supra fans.
According to the legend, Toyota flew its head engineer to Munich to suggest a joint venture that would help the business cut expenses when it decided to finally produce a new generation Supra.
Therefore, despite the fact that the Supra is a coupe and the Z4 is a convertible, both vehicles share the same BMW base as well as other essential BMW parts. Additionally, the same company, Magna Steyr in Austria, constructs both vehicles.
BMW’s six-cylinder engine is one of those shared components, but it can only be had in a Z4 with the $124,900 M40, which is significantly more expensive than the base price of the Supra with its 3.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine.
Is the Supra a Z4 from BMW?
You’ve likely heard by this point all the jokes about how the new Toyota Supra is really simply a nice BMW Z4. While it may have disappointed the big following of the Toyota Supra and its renowned 2JZ motor to learn that it shares a powertrain with the new BMW Z4, Toyota still has plenty of tricks up its sleeve to differentiate the eagerly anticipated revival.
Same motor, different output?
While it’s true that both vehicles share a 3.0L inline 6-cylinder powerplant created by BMW, you might be shocked by how different each vehicle’s manufacturer advertised its specifications to be. BMW claims that the Z4 M40i offers 382 horsepower, whereas Toyota claims that the same engine in the Supra only produces 335 horsepower. This discrepancy is reportedly caused by different tune. It isn’t one of the JZ motors that the Supra is famous for, but it isn’t entirely different either. According to Toyota, the BMW motor can handle substantially more horsepower with aftermarket tuning.