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The return of the heralded Supra nameplate back in 2019 came as a result of a rather curious partnership between Toyota and BMW, which saw the Japanese sports car adopt German internals from the niche Z4 roadster. Now, reports indicate that BMW is planning to pull the plug on Z4 production in March of 2026, and it looks like the Toyota Supra will suffer the same fate.
While Toyota hasn't exactly confirmed the Supra's cancellation, the future doesn't look so clear when the Z4, with which it shares its engine, transmission, and underlying bones, is set to end production at Magna Steyr's Austrian plant. Magna Steyr has been standing at the center of the joint venture, as the Toyota Supra and BMW Z4 have been among the 200,000 vehicles produced by the company each year since their launches roughly five years ago. However, sales for both have never topped the charts. The revived Supra has only sold 24,022 units in the United States since 2019, and the most recent Z4 has only found 11,567 homes in that same time frame. These low numbers could very well play a part in the decision to kill off both sports cars.
While a low-volume roadster like the Z4 will likely fall into obscurity after its demise, the Supra will undoubtedly be missed by enthusiasts––even though not many of those fans actually bought the fifth-generation sports car. It was one of the few remaining two-door cars with a manual transmission on the options list, and the fanfare brought by the arrival of the stick-shift was enough to persuade BMW to offer the Z4 with a manual too. However, the prospect of yet another Supra to replace this existing one looks very unlikely.
That's because the introduction of the Mk5 Supra came at the hands of former CEO Akio Toyoda, whose goal was to go beyond the boring Camrys and RAV4s that dominate roads worldwide, and as a result he was responsible for everything from the GR86 to the GR Corolla. Now that Toyoda no longer holds the position of CEO, sports cars don't appear to hold a significant place in the automaker's lineup anymore.
And since the partnership with BMW is nearly over, Toyota would have to build another Supra entirely by itself, but since sales have dropped by as much as 50% so far this year, something like that would not be justified. Of course, Toyota could hook up with another automaker to bring the Supra badge back to life, but a venture like that would take years to formulate.
While time is nearly up for the Supra, Toyota is nowhere near done with building sports cars. Rumors indicate that Toyota is planning to launch a second-generation GR86 sometime in the near future, and there's a possibility that it could be joined by the long-awaited revival of the Celica nameplate.
Image Credits: Toyota
Report
Jun 20, 2024
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The BMW Z4 Will Drag Toyota Supra Into Its Grave When It Departs In 2026
With declining sales and the looming departure of the Z4, the Supra's future doesn't look so good.
The return of the heralded Supra nameplate back in 2019 came as a result of a rather curious partnership between Toyota and BMW, which saw the Japanese sports car adopt German internals from the niche Z4 roadster. Now, reports indicate that BMW is planning to pull the plug on Z4 production in March of 2026, and it looks like the Toyota Supra will suffer the same fate.
While Toyota hasn't exactly confirmed the Supra's cancellation, the future doesn't look so clear when the Z4, with which it shares its engine, transmission, and underlying bones, is set to end production at Magna Steyr's Austrian plant. Magna Steyr has been standing at the center of the joint venture, as the Toyota Supra and BMW Z4 have been among the 200,000 vehicles produced by the company each year since their launches roughly five years ago. However, sales for both have never topped the charts. The revived Supra has only sold 24,022 units in the United States since 2019, and the most recent Z4 has only found 11,567 homes in that same time frame. These low numbers could very well play a part in the decision to kill off both sports cars.
While a low-volume roadster like the Z4 will likely fall into obscurity after its demise, the Supra will undoubtedly be missed by enthusiasts––even though not many of those fans actually bought the fifth-generation sports car. It was one of the few remaining two-door cars with a manual transmission on the options list, and the fanfare brought by the arrival of the stick-shift was enough to persuade BMW to offer the Z4 with a manual too. However, the prospect of yet another Supra to replace this existing one looks very unlikely.
That's because the introduction of the Mk5 Supra came at the hands of former CEO Akio Toyoda, whose goal was to go beyond the boring Camrys and RAV4s that dominate roads worldwide, and as a result he was responsible for everything from the GR86 to the GR Corolla. Now that Toyoda no longer holds the position of CEO, sports cars don't appear to hold a significant place in the automaker's lineup anymore.
And since the partnership with BMW is nearly over, Toyota would have to build another Supra entirely by itself, but since sales have dropped by as much as 50% so far this year, something like that would not be justified. Of course, Toyota could hook up with another automaker to bring the Supra badge back to life, but a venture like that would take years to formulate.
While time is nearly up for the Supra, Toyota is nowhere near done with building sports cars. Rumors indicate that Toyota is planning to launch a second-generation GR86 sometime in the near future, and there's a possibility that it could be joined by the long-awaited revival of the Celica nameplate.
Image Credits: Toyota
