Any links to this claim?Apparently the Supra will have more power than the Z4 and be "for the masses" according to the head of BMW Australia
The 2019 Toyota Supra and BMW Z4 are being developed alongside one another, but BMW promises the two sports cars won’t feel alike from the behind the steering wheel.
Speaking to CarAdvice, BMW Australia CEO Marc Werner said BMW and Toyota decided to develop the new Z4 and Supra together to save on development costs, but that doesn’t mean they will be the same car. Whereas the BMW will put a focus on comfort and luxury, the Supra will be a bit more bare bones and performance minded.
“Product development of each and every car costs you a couple of billion dollars, and the roadster segment is unfortunately declining over the last couple of years — not only for [BMW], but each and every manufacturer,” Werner said.
“So we decided to join forces with Toyota, as far as the development process is concerned. As far as the design is concerned, it will be absolutely unique. Not only in terms of design, but how they drive and how they handle.”
Spy photos show the Supra and Z4 will have similar proportions, but very different styling. The Z4 will be a soft-top convertible, while the Supra will be a hardtop coupe. The two cars are rumored to share powertrains, with a leaked document pointing to BMW-sourced 2.0-liter turbo four and a 3.0-liter turbo inline-six engines being used. They should also share a transmission (manual on the Supra, please!) and certain interior components.
We’re expecting to see a concept version of the 2019 Supra arrive at the Tokyo Motor Show later this month before the production car arrives sometime in 2018. Stay tuned for more info as we have it.
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2017/10/toyota-supra-will-drive-way-different-bmw-z4.html
The Toyota Supra And BMW Z4 Will Supposedly Be Completely Different Animals
One is luxurious, the other sporty
Despite sharing a lot of underpinnings with the BMW Z4, the Supra was developed from the perspective of turning it into a pure performance vehicle.
Toyota chief engineer Tetsuya Tada made those claims, and it’s hardly a surprise they came from him because he’s the driving force behind the 86 sports coupe and the upcoming Supra sports car. Despite sharing a lot of underpinnings with the BMW Z4, the Supra was developed from the perspective of turning it into a pure performance vehicle. “From our side, Toyota wanted to make a pure sports car, and BMW has a slightly different direction,” Tada said. “Engine calibration is quite different between the two cars. Even if the hardware is the same in some elements, the calibration is completely different – the driving experience will be very different to the Z4.
Tada’s claims have a sprinkle of irony in them considering that he’s hinting that the Supra will have a purer driving experience than the sports car developed by a company that prides itself on being the purveyors of cars that offer “the ultimate driving experience.”
The BMW roadster is expected to debut over the summer, so we’re going to get a clear picture of what it’s capable of then.
To his credit, Tada didn’t explicitly say that the Supra was better than the Z4; it will just be different in many ways. That could be interpreted in a number of different ways, but Toyota’s chief engineerisn’t shying away from identifying the Supra as the more performance-oriented of the two models.
We’ll know more about the Z4 and the Supra once both cars hit the market. The BMW roadster is expected to debut over the summer, so we’re going to get a clear picture of what it’s capable of then. As for the Supra, cross your fingers that Toyota unveils it soon after BMW’s own unveiling. There’s no word yet on when Toyota plans to do it, but hopefully, it doesn’t make us wait too long. Tada already apologized for the delay ofin its arrival, so I don’t expect him to come up and apologize again in the coming months.
Was it you that said the BMW drove the Z4 in the past and didn't like what happened, but Tada or Akio told toyota to do this or that, and did that to the Z4, and destroyed lap times to BMW's shock?It's definitely quite a bit different than the Z4 in several big ways, but having those people complain will make the shock of the truth so much better.
Ha. It's weird to see a brand like Toyota for the uninitated saying they helped BMW catch up to their sports car, that is sharing the same paltform. If that ain't a sign, I don't know what is/Basically the Z4 was way behind the Supra on the track, so Tada helped them improve it. Doesn't mean he made it into a Supra though lol.