New Supra is “the last present” for driving enthusiasts from Toyota



In a recent interview with Toyota UK, Chief Engineer of the new Supra, Tetsuya Tada, revealed a distressing reality not just of the Supra but also on the future of sportscars – one that we’ve all lamented but will have to accept as the “inevitable” future.

Speaking at the unveiling of the all-new Toyota Supra at the recently concluded Goodwood Festival of Speed, he said, “Looking at the current automotive industry, the talk is all about autonomous driving, electrification and artificial intelligence.”

“What that’s doing is giving rise to a lot of strict regulations, and that limits our capacity to make emotional sports cars; it’s getting much more difficult to do that,” he added.

As such Tetsuya Tada believes that the new fifth-generation Supra will be the last present from Toyota to those who enjoy and appreciate the audio purity of a petrol-powered engine, screaming at high revs.

If you haven’t heard, the new Z4 and the fifth-generation Supra shares similar mechanical underpinnings.

He added that in the efforts to extend and preserve the legacy of the Supra, certain design elements from the fourth-generation Supra (A80) had been carried over into the all-new model so that when people look at the new car, they can immediately identify it as a Supra.

Despite inheriting the front engine rear-wheel drive and straight-six engine attributes made famous in the Supras of old, most aren’t aware that the new Supra actually sits on an even shorter wheelbase than the GT86, with twice the body rigidity and even lower centre of gravity.