丰田正在开发新一代Supra运动车，该车将与宝马下一代Z4共享混动系统和底盘。该车在设计上深受丰田FT-1概念车影响，目前已经接近完工。这款车将与下一代宝马Z4运动车共享底盘和混动系统。虽然新一代Z4和丰田的很多技术都是共享的，但Supra比下一代Z4更大，采用了进一步延长的合作开发平台。这也使Supra在丰田家族中的定位高于GT86。宝马和丰田这两款车虽然共享技术，但却是完全独立开发的，因此这两款车外观完全不同，只是内部核心部件共享。因此预计这两款车采用相同行走机构，搭载宝马引擎用于后轮驱动，丰田混动电机驱动前轮。预计丰田混动系统与其勒芒赛车非常接近，很可能是TS050 Hybrid。因此新车将采用电机驱动前后轮，汽油引擎驱动后轮。电力将来自制动能量回收并被储存在锂电池内。这将使丰田和宝马车型可提供插电混动选择。该车将采用丰田的双离合器变速器来替代CVT变速器。丰田新一代Supra由于采用自己开发的电机以及借鉴了宝马的轻量化措施，预计该车重量不会超过1400公斤。不过，宝马新一代Z4由于车身尺寸更下，因此车重将比丰田版本更低。

 

New Toyota Supra to get BMW hybrid tech

A new Toyota Supra sports car is on the way, sharing a hybrid powertrain and chassis with the next BMW Z4

 

A new Toyota Supra inspired by the Toyota FT-1 supercar concept is nearing reality, and it’s going to share a chassis and hybrid powertrains with the next BMW Z4 sportscar.

 

While the BMW Z4 replacement and new Toyota Supra will take advantage of the shared technology, the Supra will be bigger than the next Z4 and feature an extended version of the joint venture platform. That will allow the Supra to sit about the GT86 model in the Toyota line-up.

 

Unlike Mazda’s recent tie-up with Fiat, which has left the new Fiat 124 Spider with a very obvious design connection to its MX-5 ‘donor’ car, the BMW and Toyota designs are completely separate. The vital sharing will all be hidden beneath the skin of two very different cars. So expect common running gear, and both cars a BMW petrol engine driving the rear wheels, with Toyota hybrid electric motors powering the front.

 

It's likely that the Toyota hybrid tech will have much in common with its Le Mans race cars, so like the TS050 Hybrid, the new sports cars will use electric motors on the front and rear axle, with petrol engine power driving the rear wheels. Electric power will come from regenerative braking, and will be stored in a lithium ion battery. This will allow Toyota and BMW to offer plug-in options too.

 

Interestingly, the system will implement Toyota’s first-ever dual-clutch transmission, in place of the slow-witted CVT gearboxes we’re accustomed to in existing Toyota and Lexus hybrids.

 

By designing the motors in-house, and taking advantage of BMW’s weight-saving methods, Toyota is thought to be targeting a kerbweight of less than 1,400kg. However, it’s expected that the BMW will be the lighter of the two models, on account of its smaller size.