since 1976
since 1976
From Toyota Press Release
Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) premiered its much-anticipated all-new Supra at the 2019 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Sales in Japan of the new Supra are slated to start around spring 2019.
The new Supra is the first global model of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing's GR sports car series. Ever since first competing in Germany's 24 Hours of Nürburgring endurance race in 2007*², TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has been aiming through its motorsports activities to develop its cars and people, with the goal of "making ever-better cars." The knowledge and know-how it has built up over the years have been funneled into bringing the Supra back to life in the form of the "GR Supra,"*³ as a car that people the world over will find fun to drive.
Toyota President Akio Toyoda, who is also a master driver, said: "Back in the day, I spent countless hours driving an old Supra at Nurburgring to become a master driver. Supra is like an old friend that holds a special place in my heart. While other manufacturers were putting their beautiful new prototypes which they were going to introduce through the paces, I was driving an old Supra that was no longer in production. So even though Toyota had no plans to make a new Supra, just like a lot of other die hard Supra fans around the world, I secretly wanted to make it happen. The new GR Supra was born through testing at Nurburgring, and I can honestly say that it is a car that is fun to drive and better than ever."
The all-new fifth-generation Supra marks the end of a 17-year hiatus since the conclusion of production of the previous generation in 2002. Ever since the Supra's inception in 1978*4, , all generations have been front-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicles powered by an inline six-cylinder engine. The latest rendition is no exception. This time around, extensive attention has also been paid to the three fundamental elements of wheelbase, tread, and center of gravity, thus achieving handling performance befitting a pure sports car.
Chief Engineer Tetsuya Tada, who headed development, said: "We set out to create a pure sports car that would attain the ultimate in the fun of driving. Rather than only working toward specs such as horsepower and circuit lap times, we emphasized sensitivity performance, such as the degree to which driving could be felt to be fun, with car and driver becoming one."
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing launches the "Supra is Back" edition of a global television commercial series to promote the new Supra. Appearing are top-class TOYOTA GAZOO Racing drivers*55, making a good match for the first global model of the GR series.
*2 Then known as "GAZOO Racing," the team―of which half the drivers comprised Toyota Motor Corporation President Akio Toyoda and other Toyota employees, and whose mechanics comprised employees selected from various Toyota divisions―entered with two modified Altezzas.
*3 Name used for marketing and other promotional communications.
*4 Debuted in Japan as the "Celica XX (Double X)." The first version to be marketed in Japan as the "Supra" was sold as the third-generation Supra (launched in 1986) outside of Japan.
*5 Kyle Busch, Fernando Alonso, Ott Tänak, Sebastian Buemi, and Kazuki Nakajima (in order of appearance)
Key features of the new Supra
Packaging in pursuit of the fundamental origins of a pure sports car
To achieve excellent handling and a stable cornering stance, the three elements of wheelbase, tread, and center of gravity were positioned as the most important factors in pursuing the ideal conception of a pure sports car.
Being straightforward about the model being a two-seater, at 2,470 mm, its wheelbase is 100 mm shorter than that of the 86.
The relatively short wheelbase results in a wheelbase-to-tread ratio of 1.55, one of the smallest ratios among mass-production sports cars, contributing to excellent turning performance.
All-out efforts were made to lower the center of gravity, resulting in a lower center of gravity than in the 86, which features a horizontally opposed engine.
An ideal 50/50 distribution in front/rear weight balance, which is one of the crucial elements in determining cornering performance, was achieved.
Styling that fully leverages sports car packaging and layout characteristics
The styling is based on the concept of "Condensed Extreme L6 FR 'TOYOTA' Sports." Exterior highlights Side-view packaging that emphasizes the presence of the wheels and tires, thanks to a short wheelbase and large-diameter wheels
A two-seater-appropriate, close-fitting cabin and a super-wide stance born of a wide tread
The long-nose, short-cabin silhouette of an inline-6, front-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car Interior highlights
The space of a quintessential front-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car created by a vertically slim instrument panel and a high, wide console
A driver's seat-oriented, close-fitting, new-generation cockpit layout resulting from a shift-by-wire gearshift, an 8.8-inch TFT gauge display, and a large, full-color head-up display
By fully leveraging the sports car packaging and layout characteristics described above, efforts were made to achieve sports styling suitable for the first global model of the GR series.
The styling inherits the traditional features of Toyota sports cars, such as a "double bubble" roof, which contributes to reduced air friction (found in the Toyota 2000GT), and an approach for creating a condensed body design by positioning vehicle exterior lamps more inward from the sides of the vehicle to make the fenders appear more voluminous (found in the Toyota 2000GT and fourth-generation Supra).
