Supra dead? Or is it...

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Leftlanenews
Japan's No. 1 automaker is planning a Toyota-branded version of forthcoming Lexus LF-A supercar (pictured) as a successor to the popular Supra sports car, according to a new report by the U.K.'s AutoExpress magazine. The car will reportedly feature a modified version of the 341 horsepower 3.5-liter V6 hybrid found in the Lexus GS450h.
Leftlanenews
The rumors directly contradict a report from August by trade publication Automotive News indicating there would be no successor to the Supra. At the time, the news organization said "all the rumors of the two-passenger sports car's return are false."

The AE report does not specifically say if the car will use the Supra nameplate, but it suggests a concept will appear at the Detroit auto show in January. In late August, Autocar said Toyota would build a hybrid version of the LF-A in addition to the widely expected V10 model. Might the rumored hybrid LF-A be sold as a Toyota Supra instead? Time will tell…


Sounds like a risky idea; the Supra name has always been known as a front-engined 2+2 sports car, not a 2+2 mid-mounted hybrid...

Though, atleast it will have something to compete with the mainstays such as the Evo, WRX, MPS, and GTi, though the chance reality of something like this happening is always un.dulating
 
Toyota seriously needs to get with the program and just build a Supra. 6 cylinders in the front, power going to the rear wheels, in a GT/Sportscar package. That's all.

If they just follow those guidelines, stop fidgeting around, and build the thing, they'll make many, many, many people happy.
 
Toyota seriously needs to get with the program and just build a Supra. 6 cylinders in the front, power going to the rear wheels, in a GT/Sportscar package. That's all.

If they just follow those guidelines, stop fidgeting around, and build the thing, they'll make many, many, many people happy.

Exactly, if they just built a concept just to see what the public reaction would be they would get a better idea whether or not to actually build a road version.
 
...That would require Toyota to remember how to do the following:

- Build a fun, high-reving V6 without too much computer management, hell, maybe make a forced-induction I4 an option
- Match it with a true manual transmission, one that is also easy to operate
- Build a RWD chassis with sportyness in mind
- Keep her light
- Don't overload the car with computers and gyroscopes
- Keep her cheap

...Then they would have a true successor to the "good" Supras of the 1980s, not the overweight, overpriced Supra of the 1990s.
 
Toyota seriously needs to get with the program and just build a Supra. 6 cylinders in the front, power going to the rear wheels, in a GT/Sportscar package. That's all.

If they just follow those guidelines, stop fidgeting around, and build the thing, they'll make many, many, many people happy.

That's kind of the default choice, the expected path for Toyota. However that's not what's on Toyota's planning. It appears that hybrid-everything is what they want: hybrid SUV, hybrid luxo-barge, hybrid bicycle. This won't work with the Supra, though. I don't think that they want to be the first out of the gates with a hybrid sports car, especially not with the Supra name.

If they bring it back at all, they should do a simple V8/turbo-V6 conventional sports car and let it sell for at least a full year. Then, when the Supra has been "re-invented", they can consider a hybrid as an option. To come out with a hybrid-only design is pure folly, as it would be the last thing people in this segment are looking for.
 
I'm waiting for the day when Toyota's decision to push Hybrid power bites them on the ass. If diesel power gets to the point where it should be, offering similar fuel efficiency at a lower cost (overall), companies like Volkswagen and GM will win-out in the end. Hell, Honda may even re-take some ground lost...
 
I'm waiting for the day when Toyota's decision to push Hybrid power bites them on the ass. If diesel power gets to the point where it should be, offering similar fuel efficiency at a lower cost (overall), companies like Volkswagen and GM will win-out in the end. Hell, Honda may even re-take some ground lost...

^^^
Took the words right out of my mouth, er, fingers...yeah. :D But for all we know Toyota already has a diesel hybrid setup that's being developed under Area 51-caliber secrecy...O_o
 
...That would require Toyota to remember how to do the following:

- Build a fun, high-reving V6 without too much computer management, hell, maybe make a forced-induction I4 an option

V6? no no no I wish them to keep the Supra a I6, just look at the BMW 335i Coupe, plenty of proof there is still interest in a perforance I6.
 
Exactly, infact, I'd like Toyota to keep the 2JZ-GTE in it, should it come.


Now, how many threads were there made before about a "Supra"? I highly doubt we'll ever see a Supra in the next 5 years :indiff:


And if the Supra isn't coming, I'll pray they'll finally throw in a 300 HP engine in the Avensis...
 
And if the Supra isn't coming, I'll pray they'll finally throw in a 300 HP engine in the Avensis...


Ehh no thanks........Aussie Avensis

11747.jpg




:p
 
That's not an Avensis, that's an Avensis verso....

I'm talking about this car:

p_toyota_avensis_clean_power_1.jpg
 
V6? no no no I wish them to keep the Supra a I6, just look at the BMW 335i Coupe, plenty of proof there is still interest in a perforance I6.
They could always ask to use the AJP6 that'd fit the bill for a new Supra perfectly and they wouldn't need to develop an engine themselves.
 
Well yeah the only Avensis we get anyway, we don't get the nice ones for some reason.
 
The American Avensis?

2006.scion.tc.jpg


...Never liked it, too heavy, etc. A nicely powered V6 could get rid of the issues the car has with the Camry's 2.4L I4, but it would need well-over 200 BHP to make any dent in the performance market these days, and I just don't see Toyota (Scion) doing it...

---

On the issue of V6 versus I6:

Personally, I couldn't care much either way. Both engines sound great, offer similar performance, so it comes down to the point in which you want to go with history or you want to look at the future. My guess is that Toyota would be more apt to modifying one of their V6 engines either out of the Lexus IS350 or from one of their trucks, probably the Tacoma X-Runner, to power a basic Supra.

...If they really had some balls over in Japan, they'd use the new V8 out of the Tundra and stuff that under the hood...
 
BMW made the 335i because they saw the success that audi were having with turbo engines, so for 4years thay developed the turbo 3.0 engine to really stick it to the competition.

On a sidenote handling wise a BMW engineer said it is a joke to compare them to BMW's let alone MB's and audis. The germans dont seem to be scared of the japanese by that statement. :lol:

With toyotas current philosophy and heading I dont think they would be capable of making a fun I6 car.
 
...If they really had some balls over in Japan, they'd use the new V8 out of the Tundra and stuff that under the hood...

And build the Musclecar they always should've. nice idea. Might even fly with Toyota NASCAR-ites.

On the Hybrid issue, I feel that the Left wing has a little too much influence on Toyota's buisness plan. Hybrids aren't so much for fuel economy as they are for tree-huggers who want lower emissions.
 
Toyota and Nissan will never build a straight-six again. Sad, but true. Based on the fact that the Lexus IS made the switch to a V engine, an inline-engined Supra is a virtual impossibility.
 
Like I said before, they don't have to build an inline 6 themselves, I'm sure TVR would be happy to supply them with AJP6's. Probably would never happen, but it would make incredible sense.
 
They could always ask to use the AJP6 that'd fit the bill for a new Supra perfectly and they wouldn't need to develop an engine themselves.

That is a flat-out fantastic idea; it's not a turbo, although it could be, but it's such a killer engine by itself. Still, great as though that may be, isn't that engine -- which is so entrenched in TVR -- the main reason TVR isn't sold in the US? If the Supra is to succeed, it needs the US market, and that unfortunately rules out the AJP6.

It seems that so many companies have trouble with inline-6 engines, except for BMW who just cares too much. Nissan, Toyota, TVR...well, I guess that's not so many. But all three have (or had) awesome engines that simply aren't allowed in new US cars anymore. I don't know why they don't fix it; changes in emissions standards shouldn't be this hard to get around. If they approached it the right way back when the emission laws changed (and these companies are notified years in advance), we probably could have had have US-legal Skyline's 2002.
 
For manufacturers, it's hard to justify the packaging problems that a straight-six's length creates when you could just switch to a shorter V6.

Oh, and Volvo is another notable manufacturer who hasn't given up on the straight-six.
 
...GM is still kinda in, and kinda out of the I6 market. There hasn't been a good answer if the Atlas I6 will die with the GMT360 platform, and it would be unfortunate as it is a pretty nice package (291 BHP, 277 ft-lbs, 4.2L). If the I6 goes the way of the dodo, GM will still have their I5 group as well, based off the same design...
 
That is a flat-out fantastic idea; it's not a turbo, although it could be, but it's such a killer engine by itself. Still, great as though that may be, isn't that engine -- which is so entrenched in TVR -- the main reason TVR isn't sold in the US? If the Supra is to succeed, it needs the US market, and that unfortunately rules out the AJP6.
As of right this moment your right, however as we speak Ricardo are working on the AJP6 to make it emissions compliant in other countries. I don't know if that would be enough to make it compliant in the US but what I'm thinking also is you could de-tune the AJP6 and then turbocharge it. TVR Power already offer turbo and supercharger kits for AJP6 and AJP8 engines. But you do have a good point about the emissions they need to be sorted first.
 
Emissions?

In Belgium, they apparantly tested the emissions of each car. Renault scores best as well as Fiat, while the Japanese cars cars score lowest with Nissan and Suzuki at the bottom.


Crappy car= Lower emissions? :lol:
 
hi guys, im a fellow supra fan also but to be honest, unfortunatly, i cant see toyota ever putting the supra back into production and not only that i dont think they could better it now anyway, they should just do a mk5 that is a subtle facelifted mk4, i still think the mk4 is one of the best looking cars about, i am probably slightly biased due to having a few friends that own them and one of them having over 900hp, nissan are still doing the skyline which is obviously the supras biggest rival so its about time toyota stepped upto the plate but like i said i doubt it will be a scratch on the mk4, it will probably have the supra name but will it resemble the spec of the mk4
 
I don't get why everyone is so attatched to the Supra.

It was technically inferior to the Skyline (which I also lend a dislike to) and didn't look better than an RX-7.
 
I don't get why everyone is so attatched to the Supra.

It was technically inferior to the Skyline (which I also lend a dislike to) and didn't look better than an RX-7.

I think because Toyota left a lot of potential in the engine/chassis untapped for the tuners to capitalize on. 600 ish hp on basically stock internals and fueling is pretty damn good.

Same reason people like cars like late-model 5.0 Mustangs and Camaros, they are nothing special from the factory but there is plenty of potential.
 
its all about personal opinion really, i prefer FR to 4wd, i know the skyline gts is FR but the more popular model is obviously the gtr, the supra is a proper drivers car(like the rx-7 too) but the skyline has all its bits n bobs that help keep you on the road, im not knockin the skyline, i got lots of respect for them too, infact there arent many Japanese cars i dont like but the skyline and supra are the only 2 cars i have had the pleasure of being in at 180mph+ and their both solid cars
 
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