Motor Trend has posted some more info and speculations on the upcoming
joint sports car project between BMW and Toyota (
also see recent news.
The lead engineer will be none other than Tetsuya Tada, the chief engineer responsible for the very successful Toyota 86 (AKA FR-S / GT86 / BRZ). Tada San is a rockstar among fans of the Toyota 86. Some of his engineering philosophies can be seen in the interviews posted below. If the BMW-Toyota joint sports car project is engineered according to these principles, we are in for a treat.
He has already visited with BMW several times in the past year since the greenlighting of this project. "I am hoping for a synergy effect with BMW that will result in a product that none of us could have imagined; something more than anyone expects. I would like that to be something like a sports car," Tada San has been quoted as saying. "I would even go so far as to say that for the collaboration to work we have to bring a product which exceeds all these expectations."
Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda, himself an avid sports car enthusiast, is quoted as saying "I get so excited thinking about the cars that will result from this relationship." Toyoda and Tada San have been heralded by car enthusiasts for bringing a back-to-basics sports car in the form of the Toyota 86.
The powerplant for the joint sports car is speculated to be either a BMW or Toyota inline 4 engine, and not the 2.0L FA20 Subaru Boxer engine that powers the 86. Hence, the 86's platform will need modifications to fit a new engine.
Motor Trend further speculates that the engine would feature natural induction and be paired with electric motors. An AWD Toyota 86 with front in-wheel motors is rumored to be in the works and the article speculates that this setup could potentially be used on the joint sports car.
As rumored before, the BMW and Toyota versions of the car are expected to receive significantly different exterior styling. The render used in this story is simply a speculative fantasy render.
Finally, the concept(s) from this joint collaboration may be shown at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show in November.
Here are some interviews with the chief engineer for this project, Tetsuya Tada (on the Toyota 86):