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Feann Torr29 Oct 2015
NEWS

New Toyota Supra concept near

Japanese sports car boss confirms 2016 preview for Porsche-slaying Supra

What's got a sequential manual gearbox, is co-developed with BMW, features a turbo-hybrid powertrain and could step on Lexus' toes?

Why, the born-again Toyota Supra of course.

In a wide-ranging interview in Tokyo overnight with a group of Australian journalists, Toyota's chief engineer for sports vehicle management (read: the bloke in charge of sports cars), Tetsuya Tada, said the upcoming hybrid flagship sports car will exceed expectations.

When motoring.com.au asked if another concept car would precede the production model, Tada-san responded: "Of course. We already prepare [a concept]. It's a surprise for next year."

It's not clear when the concept will drop, but the Detroit show in January is likely.

When the production version eventually appears, Tada insists it will not only be special, but worth the drawn-out reveal campaign, which can be traced back as far as the 2008 FT-HS concept and most recently included the 2014 FT-1 concept.

"There are so many high-end sport cars available in the world with 700 horsepower [515kW] or more [that are] not so special anymore," he said.

"So we try to realise something new and a new surprise for customers. Nobody will expect or imagine the new technology," he said.

The man behind the Toyota 86, Tada confirmed one of new technologies the Supra will take advantage of.

"Of course we are now investigating some new technology, a sequential gearbox," he confirmed.

But just because it makes use of a motorsport transmission, don't expect the Supra to be a 500kW-plus beast.

"That kind of horsepower makes no sense for our car. Almost all customers are not like professional racing drivers. They just want to enjoy, to feel something fun," said Toyota's sports car engineering chief.

We've written before that the new 'Supra' is expected to pack a six-cylinder turbocharged hybrid powertrain worth around 350kW, and although Tada-san wouldn't confirm vital statistics nor even the type of powertrain, he did say it would outperform some of Germany's most famous sports cars.

Asked if the Toyota 86's 'big brother', as he calls it, would be better than a Porsche, Tada-san didn't hesitate: "Yeah, of course".

Likely to reprise the Supra name, which "has a long heritage of Toyota sports, therefore Supra has a really good image and direction," the Japanese giant's new-generation sports flagship is expected to be roughly the same size as a Porsche 911,  and could take design cues from the FT-1 (pictured).

But therein lies the problem for Toyota.

By developing this flagship sports car with whiz-bang technology, loads of power, exceptional handling dynamics and striking looks, it could ruffle a few feathers over at sister brand Lexus.

"It's easy to imagine it could be close to Lexus. It's difficult to position it [without encroaching Lexus], yes," agreed Tada-san.

But stepping on the toes of cars like the Lexus RC F may be the least of Toyota's worries.

With Honda's new NSX hybrid supercar almost production ready and Mazda confirming it will jump back into the rotary coupe arena, Toyota's reborn Supra won't have it all its own way in the Japanese sports car market.

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