he Toyota GR Supra It has raised a lot of expectations. It was the return of the legendary Supra, a car that many Japanese car enthusiasts idealized, or rather, idealized its engine, the equally legendary 2JZ. When the final production version was finally known, most of the purists were not long in coming and the critics were merciless, attacking left and right without even touching the car's sheet metal. But we're like, you know, we don't like to give chances and we have the whole truth every time we talk.
All criticism, except for the illogical comparison with the prototype that anticipated the model's arrival, focused on the case of joint development with BMW and the use of the German company's platform, engine and transmission. Supra fans did not forgive such an insult, and since then the car has been stigmatized, despite being a very fast and exciting car to drive “on fire” on a mountain road.
It seems that the critics had their effect, because it cannot be considered a bestseller. 2021 was the best year for the Japanese model in Europe, with 6,830 units sold, a small number of which ended up in the UK, a country where car culture is particularly strong and cars like this are usually highly regarded, regardless of whether it is a development. Jointly or a model developed alone by the brand.
In fact, its status as the country with the greatest automobile culture among Europeans is such that the current situation attracts a great deal of attention. The official website of the Japanese brand in the United Kingdom indicates that “GR Supra is currently not available for orders,” meaning that the brand has closed sales of the Supra A90 in English territory and the reason is not known. It would have been possible to reach maximum allocations to the UK or perhaps redirect production to other, more profitable markets.
Magazines like Autoevolution highlight two pieces of information that may be important. The first concerns the production end date: 2026. The BMW Z4 G29, the German cousin of the Toyota GR Supra, will leave the production line in March of that year, meaning the GR Supra will probably do the same on similar dates. The second piece of information is the development of the Toyota Supra GRMN, which is the most radical and high-performance version of the GR Supra, which is about to officially see the light. Little is known about this version, although the possibility of finding a version of the S58 block with at least 450 hp is being considered.
The future of the Toyota GR Supra is also a mystery. BMW doesn't have a replacement planned for the Z4, it's now focusing on electric cars and SUVs, and there's no room for a passionate roadster, at least not until an improvement in EV weight values is achieved. This calls into question the Supra's continuity, as it is still unknown what Toyota will do about it. Will you partner with another manufacturer for new development? Will what you already have available evolve? -If BMW sells it physically, of course-. According to some Japanese media, the Supra could become an electric sports car, although as expected there is nothing official about this matter.
