Toyota-BMW sports car to gain all-wheel drive, supercapacitors?
 

<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/coupes/" rel="tag">Coupe</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/hybrids/" rel="tag">Hybrid</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/sports/" rel="tag">Performance</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/bmw/" rel="tag">BMW</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/toyota/" rel="tag">Toyota</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/rumormill/" rel="tag">Rumormill</a></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/toyota-ft-1-concept-detroit-2014/"><img alt="Toyota FT-1 Concept" data-credit="Copyright 2014 Steven J. Ewing / AOL" data-mep="185296" src="http://o.aolcdn.com/dims-shared/dims3/GLOB/crop/1139x764+70+0/resize/628x417!/format/jpg/quality/85/http://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/adam/c94304b30ab7337cdce81592c 65c7d3c/001-toyota-ft-1-concept-detroit-2014-1.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2014-bmw-z4/"><img alt="2014 BMW Z4" class="right border" data-credit="Copyright 2014 AOL" data-mep="185297" src="http://o.aolcdn.com/dims-shared/dims3/GLOB/crop/1154x610+51+89/resize/250x132!/format/jpg/quality/85/http://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/adam/490387817cf2ce63288befd98 82d09f0/001-2014-bmw-z4.jpg" style="float: right;" /></a>Sales of salt are skyrocketing following the latest rumor of the planned <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2013/12/30/bmw-toyota-sports-car-project-confirmed/">joint-venture sports car</a> from <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/toyota/">Toyota</a> and <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/bmw/">BMW</a>. The whisperings indicate that project will spawn both a replacement for the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/bmw/z4/">BMW Z4</a> and a long-awaited <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/toyota+supra/">Toyota Supra</a> successor based on the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/toyota+ft-1/">FT-1 Concept</a> shown above. Word is that the new cars will feature front-engine, all-wheel-drive layouts with plug-in hybrid technology. This news would appear to run somewhat counter to earlier reports that <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2013/11/06/bmw-toyota-partnership-hybrid-supercar/">BMW and Toyota are teaming for a six-figure hybrid supercar</a>.<br />
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According to <a href="http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/geneva-motor-show/bmw-launch-hybrid-sports-car-toyota"><em>Autocar</em></a>, the project will benefit from the experience Toyota gained with the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/toyota+ts030/">TS030</a>, its hybridized Le Mans prototype. The evidence for this is, of all things, a <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/toyota/yaris/">Toyota Yaris</a> - in particular, the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2013/08/30/toyota-drops-detail-414-hp-hybrid-r-concept-powertrain/">Yaris Hybrid R</a> that was shown at the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2013/09/11/2013-frankfurt-motor-show-roundup/">2013 Frankfurt Motor Show</a> last September. That car used a 300-horsepower, 1.6-liter gas engine, while a pair of 60-horsepower electric motors provided all-wheel-drive push (an additional motor also sent additional juice to the front axle). The 414-system-horsepower drivetrain used supercapacitors in place of the traditional lithium-ion batteries of traditional hybrids.<br />
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For the production sports cars<em>, Autocar</em> claims that the Yaris Hybrid R's setup will serve as the basis for the new powertrain, although it won't be a direct carryover. Instead, a 2.0-liter BMW engine will be paired with Toyota-designed, BMW-built motors.<br />
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While Toyota will be responsible for making the new car go, BMW will handle the car's structure and body. Carbon-fiber reinforced plastic, high-strength steel and aluminum will all play major roles in the construction, according to AC, with a low curb weight being a high priority.<br />
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This all sounds rather far-fetched to us, largely because of the existence of the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/bmw/i8/">BMW i8</a>. That car already generates 362 system horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque from a plug-in drivetrain, and it also benefits from extensive use of CFRP and aluminum. Finally, the i8 retails for six figures. Building the Z4 replacement that <em>Autocar</em> describes and keeping it around the current car's price simply doesn't seem possible. Besides that, the idea of an all-wheel-drive Z4 kind of runs counter to what the Z4 is, an old-school, cab-backwards rear-drive roadster.<br />
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Then again, this crazy industry has surprised us before. What do you think? Does any of <em>Autocar</em>'s theory on the BMW-Toyota partnership make sense to you? What sort of car do you expect from the two companies? What would you hope to see in a Z4 replacement? Have your say in Comments.<p style="padding:5px;backgr ound:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2014/03/24/toyota-bmw-sports-car-to-gain-all-wheel-drive-supercapacitors/">Toyota-BMW sports car to gain all-wheel drive, supercapacitors?</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblo g</a> on Mon, 24 Mar 2014 14:16:00 EST. Please see our <a href="/rss-term-of-use/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2014/03/24/toyota-bmw-sports-car-to-gain-all-wheel-drive-supercapacitors/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/20855266/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2014/03/24/toyota-bmw-sports-car-to-gain-all-wheel-drive-supercapacitors/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>

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