MKV Toyota Supra Master Thread

[supra93]

https://www.supramkv.com/threads/supra-concept-appears-in-geneva-video.762/

 

[mikeavelli]

Trying to stay up lol

 

[supra93]

http://www.caradvice.com.au/627071/2019-toyota-supra-official/

After years of spy pictures, concepts and teasers, Toyota has confirmed the return of the Supra nameplate with the unveiling of its new racing concept at the Geneva motor show.
The new, fifth-generation Supra revives the legendary after a 16-year hiatus, marking another move from Toyota into the world of sports cars.
The Supra shares underpinnings and powertrains with the upcoming new BMW Z4, allowing the two companies to split the cost of engineering and validation. This collaboration has allowed both companies to develop sports cars which, in normal circumstances, mightn’t have been financially viable.
The motorsport-inspired Toyota GR Supra Racing Concept is clearly not an exact representation of the production model, but it represents a strong indication of how the new rear-drive, front-engined sports car will look.
Toyota says the Supra will be a performance car for road and track, suggesting its BMW-derived engine lineup – which will likely include four and six-cylinder turbo options – will produce enough grunt to exploit the chassis underneath.
The large “90” number on the concept’s doors is Toyota’s way making this the fifth-generation Supra, following the A40, A60, A70 and A80 model lines produced between 1978 and 2002.
The motorsport-inspired Toyota GR Supra Racing Concept is clearly not an exact representation of the production model, but it represents a strong indication of how the new rear-drive, front-engined sports car will look.
Toyota says the Supra will be a performance car for road and track, suggesting its BMW-derived engine lineup – which will likely include four and six-cylinder turbo options – will produce enough grunt to exploit the chassis underneath.
The large “90” number on the concept’s doors is Toyota’s way making this the fifth-generation Supra, following the A40, A60, A70 and A80 model lines produced between 1978 and 2002.
Confirmation of the Supra is great news for Toyota Australia, which has seen local success with the 86.
Local vice-president for sales and marketing, Sean Hanley, highlighted Toyota’s recent push to more closely link its racing and road-car programs.
“Revealing a racing concept ahead of a production model highlights that motorsport is Toyota’s proving ground of choice for high-performance vehicles,” Hanley said.
“The GR Supra Racing Concept makes it clear Toyota is developing the Supra to be a true driver’s car.”
“Supra is one of the most beloved Toyota cars of all time and its nameplate continues to command enormous respect,” he continued.
“There has been huge public interest in a modern revival of the Supra legend, and this concept points to a sports car deserving of the famous name.”
How much of this track-ready Supra will make it to production remains to be seen. Regardless, the concept carries a focus on lightweight design, running with a plastic windscreen and plastic mirrors, along with carbon-fibre doors and composite bumpers.
The bonnet, front splitter, rear diffuser, side skirts, mirror housings and the large rear wing are also composite.
The car pictured here rides on centre-locking BBS wheels, wrapped in Michelin racing tyres. There are Brembo brakes hiding behind, also developed with a focus on racing. There’s also a race exhaust summing up the cars appeal.
Inside, a full roll cage, OMP racing dashboard and race seats accentuate the car’s purpose. There’s no need to worry about airbags or steering wheel volume controls, as Toyota has fitted a quick-release wheel, with paddle shifters poking out the sides.
The concept is the product of Gazoo Racing, Toyota’s motorsport organisation and the brains behind performance-focused GR-branded cars.
Toyota won’t confirm an exact release date for the road-going Supra, it says the last car previewed with a GR concept – the C-HR Racing concept, in Geneva 2016 – arrived in showrooms almost exactly a year after its show-car debut.
That suggests we have around 12 months to wait before the Supra starts showing up alongside Camrys, Corollas and C-HRs.
Toyota Australia will accept the car with great enthusiasm when it becomes available to our market.

The Legend Returns
Modern racing concept signals Toyota's commitment to bring back its most iconic sportscar
News Release Models Toyota Concept Vehicle GR Events Motor Show Region Europe Switzerland
The GR Supra Racing Concept makes its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show, reviving the name and spirit of the most celebrated model in Toyota's illustrious sportscar heritage and demonstrating Toyota's commitment to bringing the Supra back to the market. It also shows the future potential for a car that can deliver high performance both on road and track.
The GR Supra Racing Concept revives the great heritage of one of Toyota's most famous sports cars.
The Supra name evokes power, performance and handling that defined a succession of world-class cars for a quarter of a century. As a thoroughbred sports car, the Toyota Supra built a reputation both as a formidable performer on the road and as an all-conquering machine on the racetrack, dominating Japan's top-level GT racing series and earning legions of fans.
The Toyota Supra still enjoys an iconic status among sports car aficionados, 16 years from the end of production. Its enduring popularity has been helped by its success as a popular model in the Gran Turismo® driving simulator video game, and as a starring car in the first film in The Fast and the Furious global action movie series.
The Supra badge first appeared in 1978 on a larger and more powerful version of the second generation Celica before becoming established as a successful model in its own right.
Known as the A40, the original Supra was followed by three further generations: the A60 in 1981, A70 in 1986 and A80 in 1993.
The front engine/rear-wheel drive GT sportscar remained in production until 2002, and in its final generation it was Toyota's most powerful production model.
The Supra's reputation was greatly enhanced by its success in motorsport. Most notably, the fourth generation Supra, introduced in 1993, became the dominant force in the All-Japan GT racing―today's Super GT series―winning the GT500 class four times.
The Toyota Supra also competed in American IMSA sportscar racing in the 1980s and twice appeared at Le Mans in the 1990s.
GR Supra Racing Concept
A compact, two-door car, the GR Supra Racing Concept has a pure front-engine/rear-wheel drive configuration and makes use of advanced lightweight materials in its construction.
Created by TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, the concept perfectly expresses the "fun to drive" quality that is intrinsic to Toyota's commitment to making ever-better cars. The large "90" race number on its doors is a historical reference to Supra's codename and a big visual clue to the fact that this concept heralds Supra's return in a fifth generation.
Its development is true to the belief of Kiichiro Toyoda, founder of the car company, that participation in motorsport provides the challenges of performance and durability that can directly help develop better cars, while at the same time generating interest and excitement among motoring fans.
This ethos has been fully embraced by both Toyota Motor Corporation President Akio Toyoda and by TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, with the pursuit of success at the highest levels of international motorsport, including the World Rally Championship, World Endurance Championship and the Le Mans 24 Hours race. Taking part in these and other racing series around the world provides technical learnings that can be transferred from the race track or rally stage to development of not just new generations of Toyota's sports-focused GR models, but also to its wider range of vehicles, driven by tens of millions of people around the world.
The GR Supra Racing Concept is to be featured in a new update of the Gran Turismo Sport video game, developed by Polyphony Digital Inc., and scheduled for release in April 2018.
Design, chassis and equipment features
The racing concept has a dramatic bodywork design that includes a large rear wing. It makes extensive use of strong but lightweight composite material for elements such as the wide front and rear bumpers, front splitter and rear diffuser, side skirts, door mirror housings and the rear wing. The hood is crafted from the same material and features louvred air inlets. The windscreen and side windows are made of plastic.
The concept's chassis features lowered front and rear suspension using original equipment (OE) components. BBS racing wheels with centre-nut attachment are fitted with Michelin racing tyres. The braking system uses Brembo Racing callipers and discs and there is a racing exhaust.
The cabin is entirely competition-focused and is fitted with a racing dashboard and OMP driver's seat and safety harness. OMP has also supplied the quick-release steering wheel, mounted on a racing column and equipped with a paddle shift system. The doors are lined with carbon fibre panels and the dashboard includes a racing display.
Competition safety requirements are met by a full roll cage and fire extinguishers, and the fuel and brake lines, pedal box, battery and wiring looms are all designed to competition standard.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing first competed in Europe in 2007 (as GAZOO Racing). It began a long association with the Nürburgring 24 Hours with two Toyota Altezza cars (equivalent to the first generation Lexus IS) and a team comprising drivers and mechanics who were Toyota employees.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has since become the international umbrella organisation for Toyota's global sporting programme. In just the past year is has claimed two victories during its first season in the FIA World Rally Championship and won five rounds of the FIA World Endurance Championship. Its new vehicle development programme has produced the Yaris GRMN performance hatchback, the latest in a successful series of performance-focused GR-branded cars and the first GRMN model to be developed and built in Europe.
Its work is based on three pillars: developing people through taking part in motorsport; creating fans through the excitement of motorsport and producing fun-to-drive cars; and making ever-better cars by using the knowledge gained from competition.
By bringing employees into the racing garages and pit lane, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing helps them improve their skills and help them acquire new abilities, working as a team in extreme, high-pressure environments. The personal development aspect of this work again feeds directly into Toyota's making of ever-better cars, supported by people who have the experience and vision to excel.
Dimensions
Length 4,574 mm
Width 2,048 mm
Height 1,230 mm
Wheelbase 2,470 mm

https://newsroom.toyota.co.jp/en/toyota/21235480.html

 

[mikeavelli]

http://pressroom.toyota.com/album_display.cfm?album_id=1285&section_id=411

Cool photos

 

[supra93]

 

[mikeavelli]

Thanks for all the updates bro!!!

 

[supra93]

https://www.supramkv.com/threads/toyota-gr-supra-racing-concept-officially-revealed.768/page-12

Here we have the Toyota GR Supra Racing Concept.
And presenting it is Chief Engineer Tada.

Q: Why was a racing version first unveiled? That’s rather bold and unprecedented.

-- WE really wanted to present that car with a focus on motorsports, and the related attributes of how the production form will prove to be agile, and responsive in character for this car. We really wanted to stress this. As Gazoo Racing, which is the leading resource for the product planning of this vehicle, this was also one of the missions, to tie in the element of motorsports and driving pleasure.

Q: It has been announced a while ago that this was a joint-project with BMW, how did this flow? Were there any difficulties?

-- Much like how we collaborated in the past for the 86 (and BRZ) with Subaru, we had a lot of discussion on what our goals were, and what it meant to both parties. Because there are cultural differences in how engineers and consumers for both locales engineer, design, perceive, and eventually own cars, this proved to be something quite challenging. Initially a slow and extremely careful process. It took almost 2 years to come to a solid understanding at both firms to focus on a singular design direction for the product.

Q: Were there any strong elements where you could not compromise for the development goals for this Supra?

-- Of course, first and foremost we were adamant that this will be a very “pure” sports car. Could we accomplish this with BMW? Also, we intended this car to be sold through Toyota dealerships globally, and was this achievable at the level of quality that dealers and customers have come to expect from Toyota?
I can count a whole list of such concerns and discussions we had initially, but as of this time, we’ve come to a very good relationship with BMW, and we as engineers enjoy building the final stages leading to production stage.

Q: That number 90 on the door of the car, does that mean A90 that succeeds the A80?

-- Yes, thank you for noticing! That was our warm message to the world, that this is another succession in the Supra heritage. It designates indeed, the “NEXT” Supra.

Q: Inline 6, how important is that?

-- We have first, traveled around the world for voices of many Supra owners and fans. And one thing we noticed being referred to over and over was the inline 6, and the silky character of the engines that defined the Supra.

We didn’t particularly see the element of nostalgia to be a focal point of the revival of the name, although each region had their own strong ideas about what they wished deriving from characters and identities of the past Supra.

But much like the 86, we thought it had to be relevant to today’s customer needs, and evolved into something to really succeed the previous cars.

We’ve seen turbo and naturally aspirated engines in previous iterations, but all inline 6. So that was one thing we were firmly fixated from the start. That and the fact that it must stay front engine, and rear drive just as all previous 5 generations of Supra. Our fans everywhere made sure we focused on these two elements adamantly as well, universally.

Q: How long will we have to wait until we see a production version?

-- For a drivable production car?

We’ve announced elsewhere that we are planning to start production early next year (2019), and from now, leading up to the production date, there are still some elements to be fine-tuned, and decided. Perhaps we can arrange for a test-drive soon to gather your opinions. We will try our best.

We hope to give more people a chance to drive it soon.

What is unique however, about this development is that we have used available testing periods on the streets from the very early stages. From the very technical engineering standpoint, this was very unusual. Normally a car we design will see a lot more test course development before it is roaming the streets. But for this car, in fact I would say that 90% of driving tests were conducted in the real-world scenario of public roads.

However I can go on and on, but it will only amount to just words, so please wait just a little longer when we can offer a very detailed driving experience.

Q: Understood, so we shall wait for the day when we can grasp the steering wheel in our own hands to experience it!

--Yes, just a little longer, thank you so much.

 

[supra93]

 

[Gecko]

From everything we've seen, those seem to be the most realistic renders. I like it.

 

[supra93]

The older ones, but updated with the real lights.

 

[supra93]

Not news, but I thought these looked pretty cool.

https://www.supramkv.com/threads/gr...cond-concept-coming-to-pebble-beach.51/page-7

 

[supra93]

We can really see the nice rear hip in these crappy shots.

 

[Carmaker1]

I cannot understand for the life of me why this car is taking so long to develop?

I figured a sensible 5-year program:

-Planning (-60 months before launch)
-Preliminary engineering and design (-36 to 54 months)
-Concept approval (-36 months)
-Production Development Start, Production Approval
-Design freeze (-30 months)
-First Hand-Assembled Design-based Prototypes (-20 to 24 months)
-Testing
-Engineering Sign off (-9 months)
-Pilot Production (-8 months)
-Job 1 (-2 months from launch)
-Model Launch

Instead what has happened is, this car began work sometime in 2012 and the FT-1 project in May 2012 (concluded November 2013).
Then by the third quarter of 2014 (Septemberish), the final Supra A90 design intended for production, was internally approved ("Concept approval).
In early 2015, the A90 final design freeze was completed.
Yet this car is BARELY going on sale in mid-2019???

As someone that works in a capacity that develops cars, I can see an issue with protracted development, aging a car too early.

Being a design & aero engineer, you never want to be settling on final styling more than 3 years before release or you'll end up with a dated a car late in the life-cycle. Even the LFA had to be revised and finalized just 28 months before Job 1 in 2010, to keep it fresh enough.

The final FT-1 clay was already done by mid-2013! BMW's Z4 was later designed by the end of 2014 by comparison, as an homage to the 1956 507 roadster. I hope this can maintain a semblance of timelessness.

I already express displeasure at it being a shorter roaster-based hardtop versus 4-seater sports coupe and automatic only (no DCTs for BMW anymore?). People might be quick to call the A80 (MKIV) overrated because of the tuner scene, but Toyota created a fine product for both Z30 SC and A80, plainly timeless cars. Just look at that nice long body. The board of directors at Toyota, times really need to get their heads out of their a**es.

 

[Joaquin Ruhi]

I cannot understand for the life of me why this car is taking so long to develop?

Could it be that culture clashes (working with German BMW engineers with their own way of doing things vs Toyota) and rumored contract manufacturing of Supra and Z4 at Magna Steyr in Austria, by their nature, make things go slower than if Mk5 Supra had been a solo Toyota project?

 

[Carmaker1]

Could it be that culture clashes (working with German BMW engineers with their own way of doing things vs Toyota) and rumored contract manufacturing of Supra and Z4 at Magna Steyr in Austria, by their nature, make things go slower than if Mk5 Supra had been a solo Toyota project?

They claimed these culture clashes affected things during the planning stage in 2012-14. 2014 to present, what has really been going on? (Other than development being mostly restricted to Germany as commented in first half of 2015 after design freeze)

Not even the LC needed 5 years after internal approval, as the first car on an all-new modular architecture. LC was roughly 41 months (October 2013 to March 2017), against this Supra taking nearly 5 years since final styling definition to production (September 2014 to mid-2019) and 7 years or more overall since planning in 2012.

They are wasting time and money, like with the LFA. Yet this might garner less prestige due to the product positioning.

 

[CIF]

I've contemplated this for the last while (among other future Toyota products that are taking a long time).

I have come to the conclusion this is due to an unusual combination or confluence of factors. I'm not sure though exactly which of the following factors apply (since I don't work for Toyota HQ in Aichi) but I am certain that at least some of these apply in this case.

- I believe the delay due the culture clash is longer than we know. I believe there is a conflict or culture clash that went on or may still be going on specifically regarding the controversial decision to contract out manufacturing to Magna Steyr in Austria. This is extremely unusual for Toyota to be agreeing to manufacture a model not in one of their one factories, but in a foreign factory that they do not own or run.
- A recent rumor I heard says that Akio Toyoda was unsatisfied during testing the prototype last year, and gave a directive to make the handling better and more agile. This would be ironic if true, as historically the Supra has been a fast GT car, never a hardcore sports car.
- There may be additional delays (related to the culture clash) pertaining to quality reasons. Toyota may be unsatisfied with the quality, durability, reliability metrics of some of the BMW parts.
- Toyota may have, or may still be changing their mind on certain parameters during development, further delaying the car,
- Development may possibly be delayed if feedback and lessons learned from the on-going Toyota Five Continents Drive are being actively incorporated into the car.
- This project may have an unusually long testing cycle, delaying the car more than is expected.

 

[Bluesuprarcf52]

I can't wait for this car. I hope it lives up to expectations. Hopefully working BMW doesn't ruin the Supra name.

 

[Carmaker1]

I've contemplated this for the last while (among other future Toyota products that are taking a long time).

I have come to the conclusion this is due to an unusual combination or confluence of factors. I'm not sure though exactly which of the following factors apply (since I don't work for Toyota HQ in Aichi) but I am certain that at least some of these apply in this case.

- I believe the delay due the culture clash is longer than we know. I believe there is a conflict or culture clash that went on or may still be going on specifically regarding the controversial decision to contract out manufacturing to Magna Steyr in Austria. This is extremely unusual for Toyota to be agreeing to manufacture a model not in one of their one factories, but in a foreign factory that they do not own or run.
- A recent rumor I heard says that Akio Toyoda was unsatisfied during testing the prototype last year, and gave a directive to make the handling better and more agile. This would be ironic if true, as historically the Supra has been a fast GT car, never a hardcore sports car.
- There may be additional delays (related to the culture clash) pertaining to quality reasons. Toyota may be unsatisfied with the quality, durability, reliability metrics of some of the BMW parts.
- Toyota may have, or may still be changing their mind on certain parameters during development, further delaying the car,
- Development may possibly be delayed if feedback and lessons learned from the on-going Toyota Five Continents Drive are being actively incorporated into the car.
- This project may have an unusually long testing cycle, delaying the car more than is expected.

You got it! The testing factor is what is keeping this car and a justified stubborness by Toyota/Toyoda, to ensure it meets requisite targets. BMW seems to be ahead of them, but can be blamed for "hogging" development for a brief spell, that allegedly agitated Toyota personnel outside of Tada-san.

This will be the longest production development cycle by Toyota ever, as I cannot recall any model taking this long (5 years) to go from styling buck to showroom. Only the 1998 Land Cruiser, which was approved in Fall 1993 (project started in 1991) and launched in March 1998. That SUV and the Lexus LX 470, were benchmarked by BMW and Land Rover in 1998-2000. Hopefully by comparison that means they will any pitfalls associated with BMW product planning.

 

[CIF]

You got it! The testing factor is what is keeping this car and a justified stubborness by Toyota/Toyoda, to ensure it meets requisite targets. BMW seems to be ahead of them, but can be blamed for "hogging" development for a brief spell, that allegedly agitated Toyota personnel outside of Tada-san.

This will be the longest production development cycle by Toyota ever, as I cannot recall any model taking this long (5 years) to go from styling buck to showroom. Only the 1998 Land Cruiser, which was approved in Fall 1993 (project started in 1991) and launched in March 1998. That SUV and the Lexus LX 470, were benchmarked by BMW and Land Rover in 1998-2000. Hopefully by comparison that means they will any pitfalls associated with BMW product planning.

Agreed. I still though have extreme reservations about this project (always did so since the beginning). To me, the partnership between BMW and Toyota is just so unusual, I am just very afraid of exactly what parts sharing has occurred. If it is a 100% BMW engine design inside the Supra, that will be something I cannot personally stomach. Even vehicle specs aside, the very notion that the Supra will be produced by Magna Steyr in Austria is just so confounding to me.

 

[supra93]

New interview says we are getting a DCT and the production version will be unveiled this fall.

https://www.supramkv.com/threads/to...ct-expect-production-car-in-fall-of-2018.815/

- By the way, is MT prepared for the next SUPRA?

Mr. Tada: At the moment, it is not; it is just a dual clutch transmission. I think whether it is not fun if MT is a large power car like the next SUPRA. Raising the torque of the engine will make the shift feel worse. If so, it is very doubtful whether MT specification is necessary. However, I think that there is a meaning of MT adoption if it is said that even general people will taste the sequential type transmission installed in the racing car.

By the way, it is said that the official announcement of the production version I'm looking forward to will be about fall of 2018. Anyway, I am looking forward to the debut of the next SUPRA!