The legend will live on. The Toyota Supra is one of the most revered cars within the automotive aficionado community. The next generation could be on the way, albeit with a radical change in mindset.
The term Supra comes from Latin and means “superior” or “supreme”. A name that suits the Japanese sports car phenomenally. Since it was launched on the market in 1981, first as the Celica Supra, its popularity has not stopped growing. With four different generations on the market, Toyota decided in 2002 to nip the sports car in the bud for the sake of more electrified mobility. After 17 years of absence from the markets, the Supra came back to life in 2019, although with an approach that angered most purists. There is no doubt that they will be angry again with what the Japanese plan to do in the next generation.
It is clear that times change and we all have to adapt to them. As we said, Toyota’s strategy is to electrify its global fleet. With 30 100% electric launches planned for the end of the decade, the bZ family will try to add sales, while other models will generate the company’s brand image. The future Supra will be one of those units that are developed to demonstrate the tremendous possibilities of Toyota. As stated by a specialized Japanese media, the project is already underway and there is already an estimated presentation date.
The current generation, A90, still has a few years left on the global roster. There are still versions to be launched on the market, the most anticipated of all is the one signed by the GRMN division. Pushing the performance of BMW’s three-liter engine to the limit, the Supra GRMN will be the last version the world knows of with a gasoline engine. From there everything will change and Toyota does not care what the long list of followers that the model has all over the world says. The release date announced by the Japanese publication is 2025, although some deadlines do not match.
If the year is true, it would mean that the development of the next generation is already underway. It takes no less than three years to create a car from scratch. Much of that time is consumed by the platform and the testing period. Chances are, just like with the current generation launch, Toyota spends a lot of time on sneak peeks, teasers, and sketches that will introduce us to the new Supra bit by bit. It is logical to think that in 2025 we will see a first preview and that it will not be until one or two years later that the final model will be launched.
The platform is the big unknown in this equation. Toyota has to build it from scratch, but it may have gained time thanks to its Lexus brethren. Toyota’s premium brand has long been rumored to be developing the next generation of the Lexus LFA. That platform that is being created could be used for the new electric Supra and that’s not all. Those in charge of the project want the electric sports car to be manual, just as you are reading it. The truth is that this technical strangeness is not the first time we hear of it. At the end of last year, Lexus showed us a first preview of the development that will be used in the next generation of electric cars.
