According to Japan’s Nikkei Daily, Toyota and BMW has confirmed that they are working together on a shared platform for two upcoming sports cars. The initial tie-up was inked all the way back in January 2013 and has recently been confirmed.
Toyota has plans to revive their Supra nameplate, a model that has been discontinued since 2002, while BMW will be using the same platform as soon as 2017 for their own BMW Z4. Unlike the Subaru and Toyota BRZ and 86 twins however, the Z4 and Supra will have their own different body design.
Both BMW and Toyota are also discussing about parts procurement as well as joint manufacturing. It is also likely that the new sports car will be having a hybrid powertrain, since BMW can benefit from Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive. BMW, on the other hand, knows quite a lot about using carbon fibre to achieve a lightweight body. Perhaps this could be a long awaited partnership that is beneficial to both manufacturers.
