A fresh report out of the United Kingdom suggests that the upcoming Supra will wear the badge of Toyota’s new performance sub-brand, Gazoo Racing, rather than that of the Japanese automaker itself.
According to Auto Express, the new sportscar – which is being co-developed alongside the new Z4 with BMW – is likely to be sold “solely” under the Gazoo Racing brand, without Toyota badging.
“The Supra will be by Gazoo,” Gazoo Racing president Shigeki Tomoyama told the British publication.
Auto Express went on to reveal that the Gazoo Racing team would be “heavily involved” in the latter parts of the Supra’s development after Toyota chief Akio Toyoda sampled the vehicle and decided it needed an edgier set-up.
“The new car has to appeal to the existing owners first. The old cars had a straight-six engine, twin-turbochargers and rear-wheel drive; the new car has to have the same philosophy,” Tomoyama said, before hinting that the Supra would arrive only in 2019, later than initially expected.