A BMW executive in Australia insists that the new Z4 roadster will be “absolutely unique”, despite being co-developed with a sibling from Toyota.
Expected to arrive in 2018, the next-generation BMW Z4 (previewed by the recent Concept Z4) will be the result of the German brand’s partnership with Toyota, with the Japanese automaker ostensibly set to revive the Supra badge on its version of the vehicle.
Marc Werner, BMW Group Australia CEO, told CarAdvice that the two companies had decided to work together to save development costs.
“It’s definitely economies of scale. Product development of each and every car costs you a couple of billion dollars, and the roadster segment is unfortunately declining over the last couple of years — not only for us, but each and every manufacturer,” Werner told the Australian publication.
The executive went on to insist that, despite the partnership with Toyota, the Z4 would be “absolutely unique”.
“So we decided to join forces with Toyota, as far as the development process is concerned. As far as the design is concerned, it will be absolutely unique. Not only in terms of design, but how they drive and how they handle.”
When asked whether the new Z4 and Supra would be as closely linked as the Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 twins, Werner said that the relation wouldn’t be nearly as obvious.
“It will be absolutely a unique BMW product, as you would expect.”
