Motortrend: Toyota Supra Successor Back in the Pipeline

C'mon Honda, if Toyota can have a FT-86 and a Supra in their lineup (wouldn't it be nice to see a next gen MR2 as well), surely we can have a Accord Coupe, Civic Si, and a NEW PRELUDE!....

May 03, 2012

By Peter Lyon

Illustrator: Holiday Auto Magazine

As the Supra, Celica, and MR-S (MR2) progressively disappeared over the last decade, so too did the excitement from Toyota's lineup. But sports cars are back in the Japanese giant's product plan, led by the Lexus LFA and the new Scion FR-S, which is just about to hit showroom floors. And now it appears the green lamp is finally about to be lit on a long-awaited Supra successor.

Several years ago, Toyota's U.S.-based product planners pitched a new hybrid sports car with looks, power, and environmental credentials. Unveiled at the 2007 Detroit auto show as the FT-HS, the concept reportedly pointed the way toward a reinterpretation of the Supra.

 

The financial crisis of 2008 prevented the FT-HS from becoming anything more than an attractive concept. But the spirit of that coupe survived and is reportedly being channeled into the design of the on-again, off-again, on-again Supra project. The edges and sharp angles you see in the attached illustration at top are how one artist interprets the direction Toyota is believed to be heading with its new sports car.

The car's final body is expected to be dropped onto the chassis of the GRMN MRS prototype, which has already undergone testing at Fuji Speedway. GRMN stands for Gazoo Racing Meister of Nurburgring, and was named after Nurburgring expert Hiromu Naruse, Toyota's late godfather of sports car development.

Unlike the rear-drive FT-HS, the new sports coupe (it's unlikely to be called Supra) would employ an all-wheel-drive system and generate upwards of 400 horsepower. The car is rumored to feature a mid-engine-mounted, 3.5-liter V-6 hybrid setup mated to a CVT lifted from the new Lexus RX, but tuned for higher performance. The engine would drive the rear wheels, while in-wheel electric motors would power the fronts. GRMN's expertise would be utilized to help develop the car.

The million-dollar question is when we'll see it in production. It's no secret that company CEO Akio Toyoda -- weekend racer, sports car addict, and the driving force behind bringing the extravagantly priced LFA to market -- is enthusiastic about a Supra successor. Toyota bosses haven't officially approved the project, but if Toyoda has his way and the economy shows continued signs of recovery, the new coupe could be on showroom floors by late 2015 for less than $60,000.

Source;

http://www.motortrend.com/future/future_vehicles/1205_toyota_supra_successor_back_in_the_pipeline/

2015 Toyota Supra to be a hybrid with 400 hp - report

Smaller coupe also under consideration
The rumor mill is back in action as a new report is indicating Toyota is developing a Supra successor.

According to Motor Trend, the car will likely be launched in 2015 and feature a hybridized 3.5-liter V6 engine with more than 400 hp (298 kW / 406 PS). Additional information is limited, but the model will reportedly be rear-wheel drive and have styling that recalls the 2007 FT-HS concept.

In related news, engineers are reportedly working on a coupe version of the GRMN hybrid concept II concept. It could be launched by late 2014 and use the same hybridized 3.5-liter V6 engine as the Lexus GS 450h.

Source: http://www.worldcarfans.com/111121338997/2015-toyota-supra-to-be-a-hybrid-with-400-hp---report#ixzz1gcHWanU6

Next Gen Toyota Supra underway!

Lexus plans super LFA Tokyo Edition, new Supra underway
By Tim Pollard

Lexus will launch an LFA Tokyo Motor Show Edition at this autumn's 2011 Japanese show, CAR has discovered - and we can expect a brace of additional new Toyota/Lexus performance cars in the coming years, including a likely Supra replacement.

The Lexus LFA Tokyo edition will bring an M3-esque exposed carbon roof and (still hydraulically adjustable) carbon rear spoiler. Presumably this just means the weave is exposed, as the LFA is already made from carbonfibre.

CAR understands the LFA Tokyo will cost about €40k more than a 'regular' Lexus LFA.
What else is planned for the Lexus LFA?

A spider roadster was planned and its carbonfibre construction meant the open-top LFA was nearly as rigid as the coupe. But our sources in Japan have confirmed the roadster LFA has been canned owing to the economic uncertainty in markets around the world.

And what's this about new performance cars from Toyota/Lexus?

Toyota is working on two other performance cars separate from the FT-86 and LFA projects.
Information is sketchy at this point, but CAR understands one is a front-wheel drive car (possibly a go-faster CT200h) and one is a potential successor to the Supra.

Officially, a Supra replacement is denied. But we hear a skunkworks, unofficial project is underway to replace the RWD coupe and some insiders predict a 2014 launch.

It also sounds like future fast Toyota/Lexus models will switch from high-revving naturally aspirated engines - as in the LFA, ISF and FT-86 - to smaller, turbocharged engines. Interesting times at Toyota, as it attempts to play catch-up after a decade away from the performance heartland.

Source;
http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Secret-new-cars/Search-Results/Spyshots/Lexus-to-launch-super-LFA-Tokyo-Edition-plus-new-Supra-underway/

You Asked For It, You Got It: Toyota Secures New Trademark on Supra Name

Wow, Toyota's getting serious about this sportscar stuff....shame, no S2000, no Prelude, sure we are getting a new hybrid version of a CRX....
Toyota has applied to trademark the iconic Supra name, according to documents it filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on July 16. The company’s previous trademark on the model name expired in 2006, and for the past four years Toyota didn’t bother to renew it.

This may be more than just business as usual. Only four days earlier, Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda told journalists in Japan that he wants “to see the next Supra tested in the near future”, although he qualified that by adding “even if one president [Toyoda himself] says that we want to have a Supra again, the whole company is not going to be responding to that request.”

We spoke with Toyota’s vice president of external communications, Mike Michels, this afternoon for more info. Toyota, like many other carmakers, categorically won’t comment on future product plans except when, you know, they will. This was a case when they wouldn’t—Michels told us that Toyota likely just registered the name “provisionally” to “make sure we have a lot of latitude to use names in the future.” This is true, and it happens often. But the trademark system is really designed around use (or honest plans to use the trademark for a product), and, generally speaking, a company would have three years to use the name until it’s considered abandoned.

Of course, Toyota hasn’t revealed what it will be calling the on-again, off-again production version of the FT86 concept, which is a joint project with Subaru. Could it be called Supra? There’s also the possibility that the Supra name could be attached to a second, completely different model, leaving the FT86 to adopt the Celica badge. In any event, Toyota filing a trademark for the Supra name—especially when taken with Mr. Toyoda’s comments—is telling, but it’s still too early to bet the mortgage money on any one scenario. Until Toyota finally rolls out a new Supra and puts the speculation to rest—and gives enthusiasts a reason to look at the company again—you can at least enjoy a vintage one.

Source;
http://blog.caranddriver.com/you-asked-for-it-you-got-it-toyota-secures-new-trademark-on-supra-name/

Toyota to launch two new hybrid sports cars: MR2 and Supra

According to the latest reports it appears that Toyota is ready to built two hybrid sports cars: a successor to the MR2 and a reborn Supra.

First of all, we have the MR2 which is set to receive a hybrid powertrain based on a 1.5-liter petrol engine, just like the Honda CR-Z, which uses a 1.5-liter engine capable to deliver 102 hp but also an electric motor which develops an extra 20 hp. Apparently, the MR2, which will make its debut in 2013, was set to receive a V6 petrol engine but due to the success of the Honda CR-Z, Toyota changed its mind. Regarding the Supra successor, it seems that this car will be inspired by the FT-HS Concept unveiled back in 2007 at the Detroit Auto Show and will receive a V6 hybrid powertrain. Set to make its debut in late 2013 or 2014, the car’s development is now running almost in parallel with that of the FT-86.


Source;
http://www.4wheelsnews.com/toyota-to-launch-to-new-hybrid-sports-cars-mr2-and-supra/#more-8958

No Big Surprise; Toyota Cancels Upcoming Toyota Supra to focus on Hybrids

Toyota Supra remains at the top of high-performance sports cars with the Mark I inline 6-cylinder generating 110 hp (82kW) to the twin-turbocharged Mark IV that comes with 320 hp (239kW). However, beginning 2002, Toyota moved away from the Supra image to the green vision of the Prius.

With a move further down the hybrid lane, Toyota North America has canceled its Celica/Supra revival plans. Although at the Detroit Auto Show back in 2007 Toyota’s FT-HS concept seemed to point to an interest in a Supra resurrection, its current interest are more toward the production of hybrids in the US. This move is market-directed more than anything else. Toyota wants to build something they can sell and not just something customers can adore.

Source;
http://www.4wheelsnews.com/upcoming-toyota-supra-canceled-due-to-the-financial-crisis/

Look at all these Rumours, In front of me every day ....

At this point these are just rumours!


Here is a concept of the next gen Toyota Supra (V10 or V12 for 340k?!?)
They seem to think that the Next Gen Honda S2000 has been spared....

Nissan is apparently looking at bringing a 4 door GT-R to the market?!?

InsideLine's correspondent in Japan says that despite the global economic crisis that has caused the demise of the Acura NSX, there are plenty of good things on the way from Japan's top automakers.

Adding fuel to the rumormill fire, Peter Lyon reports that Nissan is hard at work developing two models based off the Nissan GT-R: the oft-rumored four-door Infiniti and a Porsche Cayenne-fighting SUV, a vehicle that has already been denied by Nissan. Naturally, he doesn't disclose his sources, nor does he go into detail about the automakers efforts, but both models are expected to be released sometime in 2011.

The rumored demise of the Lexus LF-A is also open to debate – yet again – and according to Lyon's logic, after Toyota made the decision to continue its Formula One campaign, the automaker "still wants to bring its first true supercar to market." The V10-powered luxo-coupe is supposedly 12 to 18 months off and pricing is expected to retail for close to $340,000.Two other vehicles on the chopping block that Lyon says have been spared are the Honda S2000 replacement, which could debut in late 2011 or early 2012, as well as Toyota's plans to bring back the Supra with V6 power in 2011. The all-new Subaru Legacy which debuted in Detroit is also slated to arrive in production form this May, with sales beginning sometime in the fall.

We are not entirely convinced that any of these projects are sure things, so until we get confirmation from the individual automakers, we'll remain comfortably numb to the news.

Source (via Inside Line).

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/16/rumormill-nissan-gt-r-based-sedan-and-suv-in-the-works-lf-a-on/