Quote:
Originally Posted by gramicci101
However, there's a very real possibility that a large car company such as Toyota would in fact design an entirely new platform and then reach out to a small car company it partially owns to share design ideas and technology, especially when the small car company has an extensive racing background of its own. They might even conduct a joint venture with said small car company and allow models to be produced under both brands.
A large car company such as Toyota might even reach out to a completely unrelated car company to design and build an entirely new platform just to create a halo car. Which is why the FT-1 will have a BMW engine and why the BMW Z5 will be built on an FT-1 chassis.
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Except that Toyota didn't design the BRZ. And Toyota bought into Subaru well before the BRZ was announced, so not a totally unrelated company. As for the BMW connection with Toyota well, we should wait and see what that unlikely joint venture produces before we get too carried away. Toyota needs no help from BMW in the powerplant department.
The current Impreza and BRZ were developed at the same time and from a substantially modified Legacy platform. The rear suspension and subframe are essentially identical between the two and of different origin to that of the Legacy which continues with its own subframe and suspension until next year when Subaru will be building all of its cars on a new multi car platform. That's when we'll find out what the new BRZ will look like, if there is one.