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

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.