The new BMW Z4 and its counterpart in the Toyota-BMW collaboration – the Supra – are getting ready for their 2018 market launch. The new Supra makes a comeback after 14 years and will be offered with the choice of either a traditional petrol engine or a petrol-electric hybrid drivetrain. The hybrid version is claimed to draw on technology and processes developed for Toyota’s most recent TS050 LMP1 Le Mans race car.
It will feature an aluminum body, with short front overhang and long, sweeping nose section, which houses a longitudinally mounted engine. Inside, Toyota will provide space for two with a liftback-style tailgate.
The Supra is planned to be sold exclusively as a fixed-roof coupe, while the Z4 will retain the roadster design seen of the outgoing model.
BMW’s new Z4 is built under the internal codename G29 and aims to take on the likes of the Porsche 718 Boxter. The folding hard-top of the Z4 has been replaced by a lighter and easier to accommodate fabric roof. A report by Autocar says that the new Z4 derives chassis components and engineering solutions from the current 3 Series and its various derivatives, including the rear axle and five-link rear suspension from the M3/M4.
The new platform has been engineered to support petrol-electric hybrid power and four-wheel drive. Sources suggest the BMW roadster will weigh little more than 1400kg in turbocharged 2.0-litre fourcylinder entry-level guise.
BMW’s newest engines will make their way into the new Z4. These include the latest evolution of its turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder powerplant, the B48, delivering around 248bhp in the Z4 sDrive30i, and a turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder unit, the B58, in the Z4 M40i M Performance. Both Z4 models will come with standard rear-wheel drive and an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox.
The new Z4 and Supra will be assembled at automotive production specialist Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria — the same company that was responsible for the assembly of the first-generation Mini Countryman, Paceman and Coupe.
See BMW Z4 Spy Photos
