New Toyota Supra rumoured to be on the drawing board

It seems that Toyota has finally woken up from its deep slumber, after a decade of churning out appliances that send even the most serious insomniacs to sleep.

It started with the breathtaking Lexus LF-A, which got the attention of the main players in the supercar league like no other from Japan before it. They have never thought a Lexus could be such an awesome drive. Then, there was the upcoming Toyota 86 which won universal praise for bringing affordable fun back to the masses.

There is also the on and off again rumour of the company resurrecting the fondly remembered Supra. The seed was planted back in 2007 with the FT-HS Concept pictured here. However, due to the Global Financial Crisis that ensued the following year, the project was put on hold, much to the disappointment of car enthusiasts all around the world.

Fast forward to 2012, a few sources within Toyota, who will remain anonymous, said Japan’s largest carmaker is working on a potential successor to the Supra.

It is unclear at this stage which platform the new sports car will be based on. However, from history, it is unlikely that Toyota will develop an all new platform just for the Supra, which is a niche product if it ever got approved for production. The bean counters would certainly dictate a platform that will be shared with another product within the group.

This is in line with US Magazine, Motor Trend’s report that says that Toyota is contemplating channelling the FT-HS Concept’s styling philosophy on the platform and running gear of the GRMN Sports Hybrid II.

The running gear underneath the GRMN Sports Hybrid II was developed by Toyota and its motorsports partner, Gazoo Racing. It is powered by a mid-mounted 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine churning out 249 horsepower (186kW), working in parallel with a single electric motor driving the rear wheels. Together they produce 299 horsepower (223kW).

However, it is speculated that the production car will have all-wheel-drive, with the V6 engine driving the rear wheels and “in-wheel electric motors” powering the front wheels. Total power output is expected to be 400 horsepower (298kW) to bring it into the ball park of its rivals, like the upcoming Honda/Acura NSX.

If the new successor to the Supra gets the green light, it will hit showrooms by late 2015 for less than US$60,000.

Source: Motor Trend