Toyota Supra successor to have a mid-mounted, hybridized 3.5-liter V6

The rumor mill is back in action as Al Ain Japan is reporting a Supra concept will debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

 

Citing "well-placed members of the Toyota team," the website is reporting the company will unveil a new concept that will preview the upcoming production model. Toyota declined to confirm the rumors but company chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada has stated he wants the jointly-developed BMW-Toyota sports car to be a high-performance model that is comparable to the Supra. Toyota GT 86 chief engineer Tetsuya Tada has also said the company has asked him to "make a successor to the Supra as soon as possible."

Entry-level model had a naturally-aspirated 3.0-liter straight six with 220 bhp (164 kW), the high-performance variant added two turbochargers to increase the output to 326 bhp (243 kW). and power will be provided by a mid-mounted, hybridized 3.5-liter V6 engine and two in-wheel electric motors. The petrol engine would reportedly power the rear wheels, while the electric motors would turn the front. This setup would give the car an all-wheel drive system as well as an output in excess of 400 hp (298 kW / 405 PS).

If everything pans out, the production model - which is unlikely to revive the Supra name - could be introduced by late 2015 and retail for less than $60,000.

We're taking everything with a grain of salt but previous reports have indicated the production model could be launched in 2017 and feature a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine which is outfitted with a hybrid system.

 

Source: Al Ain Japan