The latest Toyota Supra that is yet to come has been a topic of many talks and speculations online which is totally understandable if we take into account how popular this vehicle was. A lot of time has passed since the last model of Supra seen the light of day, and for car industry that is unacceptable. But Toyota is preparing the next gen, long awaited, 2018 Toyota Supra and the news are that it might get the Hybrid powertrain.
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In 2012 when BMW and Toyota announced a partnership to work on a next generation sports car to replace the aging Z4 for BMW and Supra model for Toyota lots of us have been skeptical about the news. As the time passed, they ensured us that it’s a done deal and the both cars are in the preparation. One more thing is going to spawn from this partnership, and it is the new hybrid powertrain that will probably see the light of day in both sports cars. But we are now more interested in Supra, sorry BMW we will discuss you some other time.
Toyota’s European president and chief executive Johan van Zyl made an interesting comment when he was asked if the Toyota’s hybrid powertrains will ever extend their lives in the brand’s sports car segment. He stated “I would imagine that in the future that will definitely happen. We already have some sporting models with Hybrid powertrains on the Lexus side. But on the Toyota side, I think we will find that if we can have a World Endurance Championship racing car with hybrid technology, it can happen on a road car. I do not have any doubt whatsoever that in the longer-term future there will be a real Toyota sports model using electrification”. Well, there you have it Toyota fans, a smoking gun. If this statement doesn’t say Hybrid in Supra than nothing does.
When (because if is out of the question now) they decide to equip the new Supra with the Hybrid powertrain it will most likely be the one inspired by Toyota’s successful Le Mans prototype. Be prepared to see electric motors on both the front and rear axles and additional power sent to rear axle from the petrol engine, with the addition of some of the electric power regeneration from braking.
