Toyota Confirms Next-Gen Supra to Debut at 2019 Detroit Auto Show
Toyota formally announces that the fifth-generation Supra will debut in January of 2019, and it will auction off the first example for charity.
Toyota formally announced Tuesday that the 2020 Supra will be revealed on a live stream in January of 2019 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan.
The automaker's German branch reportedly confirmed the debut to a Supra fan site earlier this month, though Toyota only acknowledged that statement to the public this week with its announcement.
Toyota added in its release that the first production Supra—to be built sometime in the first half of 2019—will be auctioned off for charity. A company spokesperson confirmed to The Drive that the auction will not be held at the NAIAS, but at a later date, and that the charity to benefit from the auction has yet to be determined. The spokesperson added that the Supras to be seen at the NAIAS and the auction will be prototype cars and that the auction's winner won't get to spec up their car: Toyota has already pre-selected the specification for Supra number one.
Though full details of the Supra's powertrain are not yet known, they are understood to include a turbocharged four-cylinder and at least one version of a turbocharged inline-six engine. They will be of similar specification to that of the Supra's sister model, the BMW Z4. Toyota and BMW co-developed the platform on which the two cars ride, though after the chassis work was done, the two companies calibrated suspension and software independently, meaning they will drive differently.
We already know the sharpest day-one Supra will be quicker than a BMW M2 around the Nürburgring, so just how much faster could the GRMN version get? That answer will have to wait until next year at the earliest.