Official: Toyota FT-1 Concept / First New Supra Prototype Spotted!

[gymratter]

In North America, Toyota runs the Camry sedan in both the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. Next year, however, the Japanese automaker will replace the Xfinity-spec Camry for the all-new Supra according to insider intel.

Sports Business Journal argues that the change comes as a result of dwindling sales of sedans in the United States of America. Sports cars aren’t doing too great either, but on the other hand, the Supra is inherently sporty while the Camry is a reliable sedan for people who just want to go from point A to point B in comfort.

For the month of April 2018, Toyota’s sedan sales in the U.S. dropped by almost 5 percent compared to the same period last year. And as a consequence to that, SUVs and trucks are gaining ground across the board.

The last time Toyota won the Xfinity Series was in 2016, scoring 1,362 points and 19 wins as opposed to Chevrolet’s 1,341 points and 11 wins. On a related note, Chevrolet introduced the Camaro to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series this season, while Ford intends to take the Mustang to the top level in 2019 as a replacement for the Fusion.

At the end of the day, modifying the Supra per NASCAR rules isn’t NASCAR trying to get more fans, but Toyota trying to get people more interested in the brand. The U.S. public already knows that Toyota is a byword for reliability, but now Toyota wants to remind the people that the Supra is the highlight in its sports-car lineup.

Reviving the nameplate for a BMW Z4-twinned vehicle may be a marketing move from the Japanese automaker, but on the other hand, Toyota made it clear time and again that the Supra will be more driving-centric than the Z4. Bearing in mind the 2019 season starts in February at Daytona, the Supra is all but confirmed to go on sale for the 2019 model year.

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/2...ar-125966.html

[vh_supra26]

https://www.supramkv.com/threads/int...da.787/page-24

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0sAgxe9G4Y[/ame]

[gymratter]

a translation of the interview was just posted on SupraMKV

https://www.supramkv.com/threads/chi...ra.1300/page-3

Yeah. Here is a breakdown of the interview (I'm ignoring all the pleasantries, talk about Tada-san's history and non-Supra stuff in the beginning):

Q&A from about 8 min.

Q: When did you first receive word that you would be working on the Supra?
A: In early 2012, I was in the middle of the 86 Press Launch in Spain when I received a call from Japan. It was Uchiyamada-san (VP of Toyota) asking/ordering me to go to Germany.

Q: Does that happen a lot a Toyota? Being singled out by the higher-ups for a special secret project?
A: Yeah. I guess so.

Q:The announcement of a partnership with BMW was soon made after, wasn't it?
A: Yeah, starting with diesel engines and expanding from there.

Q: So why were you chosen? For your work with the 86/BRZ?
A (Jokingly): I guess I was travelling to Spain so often, they thought Germany wasn't so far away.

Q: GTFO. (loosely translated)
A: Besides working with Subaru on the twins, I also have experience working with Daihatsu on the Passo. So I guess I have experience negotiating with other companies.

Q: Was the decision to develop a sports car made at that time, then?
A: Yes.

Q: Why a sports car?
A: I knew that they (BMW) had a fundamentally different way of making vehicles but their cars are good, the people are good and I was left with a positive impression.

Q: So it was that simple? BMW folks are good people -> Let's make a sports car?
A: No, not really. It took about a year of consideration. Lining up the differences between the companies and figuring out if it can really be done. Resolving any doubts about the fundamental partnership between companies before even getting into what type of vehicle to make.

Q: Did you have any concerns at this time?
A: I was just finishing up the twins. The project with Subaru. It was exhausting. I didn't want to do another joint project ever again. I think Subaru felt the same. However, I felt completely confident about the partnership with BMW. The prospect of working with Germans made the difference. I don't know how to put it, exactly. The difference in conduct and conversation. It wasn't totally easy. (He gives anecdote about an early cross-company test drive event where the Toyota people were not allowed inside BMW facilities and how some BMW staff have never driven a Toyota in their life.)

< 5 mins of random chat about the difference of working with foreigners >

Q: What was BMW's response to Toyota's proposal to build a sports car together?
A: OK. Whatev.

Q: GTFO. (loosely translated)
A: Seriously. The second time around I came up to them and said, "Let's make a sports car that will blow Porsche away!". BMW responded with "Hrm.....". I got the impression that the people at BMW believe that we have no understanding what it takes to build a car that can beat Porsche. The mindset is different. They were not into direct benchmarking or anything like that. They said, "If you like Porsche so much, why don't you just buy one?"

Q: So how did you proceed under these conditions? You had to make a sports car, but it couldn't just be a badge engineered BMW.
A: Well, BMW's are good. You know from the moment you get behind the wheel. They can make these impressive cars. I wanted to absorb this ability to make a vehicle that is great to drive but focus our effort on a sports car. So, while BMW didn't want to make an outright sports car, I wanted ours to be one. If you look at BMW's history, their pedigree mostly consists of taking a normal passenger vehicle and making into an M car, not so much outright sports models.

Q: Wow. So you had a massive challenge right from the beginning. What did you want to accomplish with a sports car?
A: Toyota used to make sports cars. At one point, we were even the #1 maker of sports cars. When we quit making them, we lost those sports car customers and enthusiasts. It's a shame. We brought the 86 out as a core sports model, and our President and VP want greater focus placed on enthusiasts. As development progressed, we also were able to show BMW that what we were thinking and our communication improved. They saw that we knew how to identify and solve potential problems when it comes to vehicle development. Our working relationship warmed as development progressed. In the end, it's about people.

Q: Was the name Supra decided at the early stages?
A: Not officially, but in my mind, it was. This goes back to early in my career. Years ago, I was called to the Product Planning division by the former Chief Engineer Suzuki of the JZA80 Supra. I was so excited, I was sure that I was going to be assigned to the next Supra. I was assigned to the Raum. I was a little disappointed. I voiced my disappointment to my boss and he got pissed. He told me it doesn't matter if it's a Raum or a Supra, you gotta know how to make a good car.

Q: Don't you think it's a little difficult to be launching a sports car given today's market conditions?
A: No. All you hear about today is the progression of autonomous driving, electrification, car sharing, and technologies designed to eliminate the burden of driving. I think that we can leverage some of these technologies to make a sports car that appeals to people wanting to own the hedonistic antithesis of a shared autonomous vehicle. (Loosely translated)

Q: So how do you give Supra it’s own identity when it’s foundations are going to be built on a BMW, which are renowned for having their own distinctive driving dynamics due to 50:50 weight distribution. Won’t it drive like a BMW?
A: It’s about having a balance. Suspension tuning, tires and whatnot influence handling, of course. But 80 to 90% of a vehicle’s dynamic performance is dictated by its wheelbase, tread width and center of gravity height. That’s it. Everything else, the suspension, body rigidity etc. makes up the rest. There is a golden ratio of 1.5 to 1.6 wheelbase-to-tread that you will find on all the world’s supercars. Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche. That’s what we planned from the beginning.

Q: What have you announced regarding the engine? Inline….
A: Inline something. That’s all we’ve announced. Of course, being a Supra it must be available with an inline 6. This is another reason why this project is possible with BMW. They are basically the only ones making inline 6s anymore.

Q: Turbo? Yeah, it’s gotta be turbo, right? Maybe an N/A version too??
A: You mentioned turbo. Let me tell you something. With the 86, I must have been asked a million times, “When is the turbo version coming out?”. Now people suspect that I hate turbos.

Q: Transmission. AT? DCT? MT?
A: All we have announced is that we’ve considered them all. Lifecycle impulse changes also being considered.

Q: I’ve seen that the wheelbase is shorter than that of the 86. Will it be stable on the highway?
A: Yes. A racing cart has a wheelbase-to-tread ratio of about 1.1. That’s great for handling but would lead to terrible ride on the highway and autobahn. We wanted outstanding high-speed stability, so we have a longer ratio. I think you will be surprised at how stable the Supra is at speeds above 230 km/h.

Q: Is BMW just supplying the engine? Are they just developing their Z4 and letting you do your own thing or do they have more involvement?
A: I’ve been in the Sports Car Planning Department for a while and know that it is tough to turn a profit with this segment. Therefore, companies will share designs, parts, production costs and so on. I thought this was common sense, but when I brought it up with BMW they didn’t know what I was talking about.
When pressed, they said, “If you can’t make the car you want to make then what’s the point of making anything?”. After that, we went our own design direction. They went on a Z4 vector, and we went on a Supra vector. Afterwards we figured out what components could be shared.

Q: So in terms of actual production, who is building the car, BMW?
A: Yes. When you say BMW…this means the partner company responsible for BMW production.

Q: What about design and development?
A: It’s like the 86. Planning and design is Toyota. Development and production is BMW.

Q: So BMW is also in charge of tuning?
A: No, that’s our responsibility. We have embedded our test drivers and tuning teams at BMW.

Q: So have you driven the new Z4?
A: Of course.

Q: To make sure it is different, like the BRZ and 86?
A: You can’t really compare the difference between the Z4 and Supra to the twins. The Z4 and Supra have totally different starting points. There really isn’t a lot of commonality between the Z4 and Supra. Even I was surprised at how little is shared when I was looking at a breakdown of all the common components.

Q: So the I6 engine and suspension will be BMW parts but tuned by Toyota to give Supra its identity?
A: Yes.

Q: Isn’t it weird to have BMW employees participating in the production of the Supra?
A: It’s interesting to see their reaction when they view our engineering and experience the prototypes. I think we may have proven that we know a thing or two about making sports cars. I also think that they have been impressed by some aspects.

Q: Where was this photo taken? When you do these tests, is it just Toyota people going or BMW people as well

A: Sweden. Both BMW and Toyota employees go on these tests. BMW conducts public road tests as soon as their prototypes are made. This is a significant departure from normal Toyota prototype testing. Compared to the 86, we’ve easily done more than 10 times as much on-road testing

Q: Are you mostly testing in Europe?
A: Europe, America and a little bit in Japan.

Q: Don’t you think this will be a little bit much for Japan? As in, you won’t really be able to enjoy it unless you are at a track?
A: That’s the same for all sports cars. For the Supra, I think people will be impressed, even at lower speeds.

Q: You debuted a race version at Geneva. What’s that all about?
A: It’s not just a concept. That’s the real thing. We wanted to see what was required to build a homologation spec car from the production car. We then used that feedback to modify the production version so that minimal changes would be needed to get it into racing spec.

Q: Tires. You made a big deal about the tire choice on the 86. What about the Supra?
A: The 86 was all about being playful and fun. Tires are easy for customers to change, so with the 86, if users wanted more grip – then they could easily change the tires. With the Supra, we envision customers wanting maximum performance from the showroom, without the need to go tire shopping.

Q: You mention price, this thing is going to be more expensive than the 86, isn’t it?
A: Of course. It’s going to be a halo car for Toyota. At the same time, we want it to be attainable. I believe it will make a compelling value proposition.

Q: Did Akio drive the prototypes?
A: Yeah, and he gave us feedback that led to us changing some aspects of the car.

Q: What about a manual transmission?
A: We received that question a lot at Geneva as well. We know the merits of a manual transmission. It’s enjoyable to operate, and in the hands of a capable driver, can offer faster lap times. However, very little progress has been made on the development of manual transmissions. Compare this to what we have seen in the world of DCT, and especially automatic transmissions. The most recent ATs offer amazing performance that is probably best suited to the Supra. It is usually at this point that people say, “So there is no manual transmission, then!” and flip out. Who knows what the future holds. If people drive it and still want an MT, then of course, we would like to supply it. Even Porsche has pretty much gone all PDK except for a few specialized models intended for fanatics.

Q: What else will make the Supra feel like a Toyota?
A: Toyota is conventionally associated with environmental performance. We wanted to break the mold with this car. We will announce something along these lines later.
And then the last 10 minutes kind of devolves into a random discussion about Gran Turismo, IoT and a bunch of other stuff I don’t have time to translate now.

[krayzie]

I'm not even halfway thru the Q/A and boy ain't Bimmer so fucking lost. No wonder Hyundai/Kia will soon out German the Germans with BMW becoming the Sony of the car world (where Sony's senior and retired engineers / technicians went to Samsung around Y2K).

I feel like Toyota is really out there trying to school all these other companies on how to make a proper sports car, helping the overall car industry in general to bring back the enthusiasts market.

Okay so I guess they are pretty much dead set on going with an automatic (homologation reasons?), and most likely a hybrid version will appear later on just like the LC. Maybe a limited edition manual eventually like the 911.

[Captain Snooze]

Originally Posted by krayzie

I'm not even halfway thru the Q/A and boy ain't Bimmer so fucking lost.

That was not the impression I got. What I read was two different cultures/auto makers coming to grips with each other doing things in a totally different way.
Also, the transcript is a translation; lots of room for mis-interpreting from the source.

[krayzie]

Originally Posted by Captain Snooze

That was not the impression I got.

Honestly I don't think BMW gives a fuck about making a sports car with Toyota, it's not like they have something to prove.

What's BMW getting from Toyota again? The hybrid technology?

[VenomRush]

the interview got me a little more excited about the car. i always flash my highbeams at the test car that drives around my area. cant wait to see it at the showroom. the part where he talks about the homologation version was probably the most exciting for me.

[gymratter]

https://www.motor.es/noticias/entrev...201844546.html

https://www.supramkv.com/threads/chi...ra.1300/page-4

We interviewed Tetsuya Tada, the father of the Toyota Supra: "we are going to launch a version in 2019 but it will not be the last"

The Toyota Supra will be presented in 2019 and his father, Tetsuya Tada, gives us some details of the next Toyota sports car that will arrive next year in a coupe configuration, with automatic transmission, two seats and 4 and 6 cylinder engines.

We were able to interview Tetsuya Tada, chief engineer responsible for the return of the Toyota Supra , with whom we shared a very interesting talk about Toyota's sporting future that will hit the market in 2019.

This model is creating a lot of expectation, we heard about it in the booths of other manufacturers, within the Toyota itself, including its Hospitality -where sometimes model data were whispered- and during the evenings of the press days. We have been waiting for the return of this sport for a long time and its launch is about to begin.

During the Geneva Motor Show, Toyota has presented the GR SUPRA Racing Concept confirming the arrival of the street model, something that we all knew at this point and also leaving the door open to compete with it as soon as it is launched in its Toyota Gazoo Racing division .

An incredible prototype, it seems completely real. Is it simply a design exercise or will we see it on the street or competing? I ask because it seems a "very real" prototype

" (Laughter) Of course, you can see it on the street. "

What confirms that as its predecessor will return to the races of the Japanese Super GT, probably in the class GT500, where the cars compete with engines of four cylinders and two liters of displacement with powers superior to the 600 CV. See it in the WEC next to your LMP1? Do not discard anything.

People are very aware of Toyota and this project, especially the model that we will see on the street. Tell us some details.

" I can say that it is developing very gradually, at this moment we are entering the next phase, the production phase. "

When will we be able to see this model on the street?

" We do not have a safe date yet, but probably by early 2019 we will be able to give you all the details. "

Is it going to be produced in Japan?

" We do not have the answer to that question, we will be happy to give you an interview later. "

This answer makes good sense if we take into account that as far as we know the company Magna Steyr plans to start manufacturing it at the end of this year 2018. Obviously, even if the model is manufactured outside of Japan, that does not mean that it transmits all its essence and that assemble under your guidelines.

What is the new Toyota Supra?

" We know that we have a large number of Supra fans around the world, we have received request after request for many years to bring Supra back to the market, and we apologize because it has taken us too long, 15 years, but finally, we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. "

What does it mean for you to work on a project like Supra's?

" Many of us have dreamed for years of being part of a project like this, personally, I feel tremendously fortunate to have participated in the GT86 and now, of Supra. "

To date we know that the future Toyota Supra will share gasoline blocks with the successor of the BMW Z4 , which has been developed in parallel; later I ask him about it. With different powers, the blocks will be four cylinders and 2.0 liters of displacement with 210 and 273 HP as well as a six-cylinder 3.0 of 375 HP. All of them approximate data until its homologation. I wanted to take the opportunity to prod you about it:

When we talk about this model, are we talking about a single version or a range of possible versions?

" Sports cars should always be in continuous renovation, otherwise customers would get bored or feel that we are not giving them everything we can, so we are going to launch a version in 2019 but it will not be the last, of course, to continue evolving. "

Hybrid vehicles are an important pillar in Toyota. Do you think hybrid technology can be applied to street sports?

" When working with hybrid vehicles, the laws limit us, it's not a matter of technology or equipment, but we have to take into account the evolution of the regulations, but in response to your question, of course, at Toyota we always seek to use the better technology, both hybrid and traditional, we are aware of the evolution of all these technologies and we always look for the best for the future of our sports cars. "

What we still do not know is whether the range of mechanics will be available worldwide or there will be exclusive engines in some markets, probably will be. According to the answer you have given us it would make sense that the Supra was presented in one version and that after a prudent time of commercialization came another that accompanied him, a superior in a hybrid set that brings the capabilities of the model to the maximum.

How is Toyota and BMW collaborating in this project?

" In this project, Toyota is in charge of the conceptual development of the product, the interior design and the exterior, while BMW is basically in charge of the product launch, driving tests and other minor production tasks. , in this project we work together side by side, so every step we take in the project we consult and decide between the two, to be sure that we follow the right direction. "

Have you driven the BMW Z4 replacement? What is your opinion about it?

" Of course I've driven it, but obviously I can not comment on it (laughs). "

In case you do not know so much the Supra as the successor of the BMW Z4 are built on the same platform, share some engines as well as have shared stages of development, but as we have been told during the event, the Supra will be a pure sport more radical than his Bavarian counterpart.

What is, in your opinion, the sexiest point of the Toyota Supra: weight, power, design?

" Of course, driving dynamics is one of our strengths, but within the design, the front (literally bumper) of the car is also very attractive. "

Against what models do you think Supra is going to have to compete when it's launched?

" There is no clear and direct competitor of this model of Supra, however, when developing the car, we have been aware of the Porsche models. "

What sports car would you like to see in Toyota after the Supra?

" All the rumors that run about Toyota, which states that we do not stop developing possible models, are true: we are developing many new projects, but not all of them come out ahead." We decided to launch models according to priorities and voices of customers, so please tell your readers and viewers to send us any kind of request or comment about our products. "

If I did the Toyota GT86 now, what would it change?

" Of course, since we launched the GT86 we have received many requests from all over the world, for example, many ask when the next version of the GT86 will be released, we take into account all these requests, and we do not have this plan in mind right now, we need a few more years to know what other elements a car like this would need. "

You have the Yaris GRMN, the GT86 and the Supra. In the future, is there any other car that you want to develop to cover some other segment of the market?

" Unlike traditional models, when we create a sports car, we try to address all market segments that exist, because we look at the demands of the market, and the passion and motivation to create a vehicle come from customers. "

And with a big smile, so ends the interview with TADA-SAN, the person responsible for the project that will bring the Supra back to our lives. We will still have to wait to drive it, although in April it will be possible to drive the racing prototype in the Gran Turismo Sport videogame .

Another big question will be the price , no longer at European level, if not in our market, a figure that is complex to estimate. Think of a price from above 40,000 euros, and if finally the model is presented with two versions, expect that the most powerful is closer to 60 than 50,000; bear in mind that today the Toyota GT86 is available from 34,490 euros.

[R_E_L]

Sounds like the earliest we could expect it is late spring/summer 2019, if not later that fall, since the only thing being offered in til early 2019 will be the final details (probably at the unveiling). Just as well since I wouldn't be able to afford it in its first model year anyways. I'll pick up something else in the mean time and hopefully get a chance later down the road.

[vh_supra26]

Don't shoot the messenger... :p

https://www.supramkv.com/threads/new...kv-supra.1306/

New (Unconfirmed) Details and Specifications of US-Spec MKV Supra

The following is a list of details and specs of the MKV Supra in US-spec. These details are unconfirmed, but are from a valid origin.

• 3.0l Turbo I6, 335hp/369lb-ft
• 0-60: 4.5 seconds
• ~3300 lbs
• ~$63.5K USD MSRP
• Heads-up Display, Lane assist, Pre-Collision warning, Navigation, Parking assist, etc as standard.
• Our rendered images are fairly accurate to the real car. Small details are different.
• Side mirrors are the BMW-esque 3-series takeoffs that we all complained about, blacked out.
• New Supra badge.
• Grey and Red "GR" badge on rear of car.
• Wheels are 19” two-tone split 5 spokes. Likely the ones found here:
  
• Body fender “vents” are fake, both front and rear.
• Interior is objectively quite nice:
• Seats are black leather sports seat. Nice stitching and accents.
• High-quality materials. Nice plastics. Lexus level quality
• Center console has a BMW-style screen with iDrive. UI is reskinned slightly.
• Instrument cluster is fully digital. Physical readouts flank the screen around it (likely similar to the Z4)
• Radio/HVAC controls straight out of a BMW, but separated into two separate stacks.
• Steering wheel is standard BMW wheel with Toyota logo.
• HVAC vents are nice, thin like newer Lexuses with a splash of chrome.
• Overall dashboard is a good look, quality interior.
• The auto shifter looks similar to BMW.
• Standard iDrive controls left of the shifter.
• The car has a Heads Up Display
• There is a rear strut bar in brushed aluminum.

I will update this post if the information changes.

I want to just reiterate, this information is not from a vetted source and not from myself or any of our forum insiders. I do not know if this some sort of misinformation strategy or even an elaborate trolling, but the background checked out and so here is the info presented as it was given to me.

[carbonBLUE]

Originally Posted by vh_supra26

Don't shoot the messenger... :p

https://www.supramkv.com/threads/new...kv-supra.1306/

I thought it would be less than 65k area since on one of the video reviews of the BMW said it was going to be in the 40k range euro. And I would imagine the Toyota variant would be less.

[vh_supra26]

I wouldn't treat this as an official press release. It really sounds like someone just copied and pasted the specs from the Z4 reviews onto this "leak" or false info that was spread on purpose.

[SuperDave]

If the rumors of those specs are correct, i think the top spec car will be more gt and offer a hybrid engine—according to a 2015 article i found in supramkv.

Hopefully the lower spec model will come in about 200-250lbs and be about 10k less like planned. Either way, it’s looking like I’ll have to wait to buy the car second hand.

[WolfpackS2k]

Just read that interview near the top of the page. Man, what a joke.

If people drive it and still want an MT, then of course, we would like to supply it. Even Porsche has pretty much gone all PDK except for a few specialized models intended for fanatics.

This guy is key to the development of the new Supra, and he even says in the interview that they want to beat Porsche...and yet he apparently doesn't know shit about Porsche's sports car offerings?

Every Porsche sports car is available with a 3 pedal manual transmission except for the Turbo, Turbo S and GT2 RS.

What a joke

Originally Posted by carbonBLUE

I thought it would be less than 65k area since on one of the video reviews of the BMW said it was going to be in the 40k range euro. And I would imagine the Toyota variant would be less.

I have an extremely difficult time believing the price will be $65k, IF the engine output posted is correct. Why do I think that? Because BMW's own M2 starts at $55k and has 365 hp. AND COMES WITH MANUAL. Even if the Supra's weight is 150 lb less than the M2 the value proposition here is laughable.

So at least one of those thing items (price, weight, power) is way off.