Following the announcement that the new Toyota Supra will be officially unveiled at January’s North American International Auto Show, Toyota GB has confirmed that their order books are now open.
Toyota GB Marketing Director Andrew Cullis was quoted as saying “With only limited numbers available, we want to give people the earliest opportunity to secure their vehicle.”
Interestingly, only 300 right hand drive units will be made available to the UK in 2019, suggesting that units will also be equally limited when the Supra arrives in South Africa just before the middle of 2019.
While Toyota is still fine-tuning the Supra prior to its grand unveil, the Japanese automaker has released some juicy details on the sports coupe.
The A90 Supra (seen in this render) boasts an even lower centre of gravity than the GT86, despite being shorter and wider than the naturally aspirated coupe.
Today, two new 'renderings' courtesy of SupraMkV.com have leaked showing the exterior and the interior of the upcoming sports car, whilst the first image gives us the clearest look possible of what the production-spec Supra will look like. While many feared the interior would resemble the BMW Z4, it’s fair to say that it looks distinctively different.
We have known from the very beginning that the Supra was jointly developed with BMW, meaning it shares much of its underpinnings with the new Z4. However, both cars are tuned and developed by their respective manufacturers to provide a very different driving experience.
That said, the Supra is expected the share its powerplant with the racy Z4 M40i, meaning it will be powered by the turbocharged 3.0-litre inline-six B58 outputting around 250kw and 500nm. The potent motor will be paired with either an 8-speed ZF automatic or a 6-speed manual (for RHD markets). It is set to have an electronic differential and an active suspension too.
Toyota has also confirmed that the next-generation Supra won’t come cheap. On the contrary, it will be one of the most expensive Toyota-badged models available on the market. "It will not be a cheap car. There will be a clear difference between the GT86 and the Supra. The GT86 remains the affordable sports car, the Supra becomes the performance model," said Gerald Killmann, VP of Toyota R&D. It is rumoured that the Supra will be priced above the BMW Z4 - meaning a price of around US$75000 (ZAR 950 000).
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FAQ
Q: What does the Toyota Supra cost in South Africa?
The Toyota Supra A90 is expected to start around R899,000 for the base model when it arrives in South Africa mid-2019, with the range-topping variant likely pushing closer to R1,200,000 depending on specification and options.
Q: Is the Toyota Supra worth buying?
The Supra is absolutely worth buying if you can get your hands on one, as Toyota is only bringing limited numbers to South Africa and the 250kW turbocharged straight-six delivers proper sports car performance in an iconic package.
Q: How powerful is the new Toyota Supra?
The Toyota Supra A90 produces 250kW and 500Nm from its BMW-sourced turbocharged 3.0-litre inline-six engine, making it significantly more powerful than the naturally aspirated GT86.
Q: Does the Toyota Supra come with a manual gearbox?
Yes, the Toyota Supra will be available with a 6-speed manual transmission in right-hand drive markets including South Africa, alongside the 8-speed ZF automatic option.
Q: When will the Toyota Supra be available in South Africa?
The Toyota Supra A90 is expected to arrive in South African dealerships just before the middle of 2019, following its global unveil at the North American International Auto Show in January.
Should You Buy It?
Absolutely yes, if you can secure an allocation. The best Japanese sports car under R1,200,000 in SA is undoubtedly the returning Supra A90, which delivers 250kW of BMW-tuned turbocharged power in Toyota's legendary rear-wheel drive package. With extremely limited numbers coming to South Africa and decades of pent-up demand, this is going to be one of the most sought-after sports cars of 2019. The combination of iconic Supra heritage, modern BMW engineering, and Toyota reliability makes this a no-brainer purchase at the expected R899,000 starting price, especially considering it will likely hold its value better than any German rival.
