Even if BMW kills Z4, Toyota will keep Supra alive

Despite rumors that BMW Z4 will be discontinued, Toyota confirms Supra will continue into next generation model

The Toyota Supra isn’t leaving the market anytime soon. Toyota Australia’s vice-president of sales, marketing and franchise operations said the sports car will continue to be around for many years to come, with a new generation model already in the pipeline. So now, fans of the badge can breathe a sigh of relief—the Supra nameplate isn’t going away.

Earlier this year, a report suggested that production of the current Toyota Supra and its platform-sharing sibling, the BMW Z4, would be discontinued by 2026. Both cars are assembled by Magna Steyr of Austria, with the Z4 likely to follow. Toyota says any decision to cancel the BMW Z4 will not affect the future of the Supra. In short, the fate of the Supra is entirely in Toyota’s hands.

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“The car company has no plans to discontinue the Supra brand. I know that,” Toyota Australia’s Sean Hanley said. “BMW is not Toyota. The idea that Supra is going away is pure speculation, and frankly, I’m sitting here today not expecting the Supra brand to go away. Not at all.”

Toyota recently revealed that the new-generation Supra will be powered by a powerful V8 engine and will compete in the 2026 Australian Supercar Championship. Hanley acknowledged the race car is likely to outlast the current road-going model, but stressed the importance of the Supra brand to the Japanese marque and its importance as a halo.

“I can tell you, frankly, that the car you see today (the Supra unveiled at Bathurst) is going to be on this circuit for many years,” Hanley told AutoExpert. “I know. The Supra nameplate goes back many years. There’s a lot of heritage there. It’s a very important brand.”

Interestingly, Hanley hinted that the Supra “might change” and “might change in shape” in the future, though he deliberately kept the details vague, leaving us wondering what that evolution might look like.

The longer you use the Supra, the better. Sure, the current car may not go down in history as an icon like its predecessor, but it plays an important role for the brand and remains a standout in the ever-shrinking world of internal combustion-powered sports cars.