It Looks Like The New Toyota Supra Will Be Automatic-Only

In what has to be a big disappointment for people hoping for a manual Supra to get their teeth into, the latest information gleaned from test mules suggests that the Supra won't have a manual option at all

Matt Kimberley

06 Jun 2017

The upcoming Toyota Supra will only have an automatic gearbox unless the company decides to build a non-hybrid version, if new information to come from Autocar is accurate.

A sneaky new spy picture taken through the slightly open window of a Supra test mule shows an automatic gear lever as one of several pieces of obviously BMW-sourced trim in the cabin. The wide iDrive rotary dial and widescreen media interface are both also straight out of the BMW parts bin. That confirms that the traditional oily bits are going to be BMW’s.

At the moment, sources say that Totyota is only going to fit a hybrid drivetrain to the Supra, and manual shifting isn’t yet possible with it. Instead, Autocar says that Toyota is going to use an eight-speed BMW automatic with different ratios to the Z4 sister car.

The hybrid setup won’t be your average kind, though, instead using a WEC-derived intelligent four-wheel drive system with the conventional drive going to the rear wheels and electric motors at the front wheels assisting where necessary. Energy will be recouped via regenerative braking and from combustion itself, being stored in supercapacitors like those in the LMP1 TS030 racer.

On the other hand, other websites are still reporting that there will be entry-level non-hybrid versions of the Supra for some markets. The cold truth is that we can’t be sure yet, and Toyota is staying tight-lipped.

While the Z4 will have hard- and soft-top options, the Supra will only be a coupe focused on forward-looking technology. Prices are expected to start in the low £30,000s.

Comments

I love how everyone here is freaking out about no manual option but 90% of them will never drive it anyway

The true but sad life of teenaged car guys

And the people who could afford it would rather buy a used car and not support the manufacturer at all, because #petrolhead

Savage.

Well I will, I do plan on buying one after I get my Computer Engineering degree and a job. And if there is a manual, you bet I’m going to buy that! By the time it’s released to the public I should be out of school and looking for a job, so if I save up a bit I could probably finance one, hoping the price is still 5 figures which I suspect it will be, hopefully.

The truth has been spoken.

So it’ll be like the eclipse crossover all over again?

Ok everyone, we need to stop assuming that the car will be automatic only on all models. The car isn’t even revealed to the public yet. I still hold my head high seeing that it’s only June and the car is being released in October. Frankly, I could really care less if it’s a Auto or a manual transmission. But we’re basing or decisions on pure rumors. We should be patient and wait till Toyota actually says that the car will be manual only instead of a website speculation.

If there is demand (actual customers, not fanboys) it could happen.

I am absolutely fine with it. I am just happy with the fact that Supra is returning :D

All wheel driven, automatic and hybrid. Those three words don’t make me think of a Supra, more like a Lexus Hybrid SUV or something.

That’s why this is my least favourite era of cars..

Whats wrong with Toyota nowadays???? A Supra should have an Inline 6 with a turbocharger, decent power and a freakin 6-speed manual. And why is it co-developed with BMW???