Iconic Toyota Supra storms back into the sportscar limelight
Friday, 9 March 2018
Toyota New Zealand's new general manager of product and new vehicle sales, Neeraj Lala, has a special connection to the return of one of the world's most famous sports cars.
The Gazoo Racing Supra Concept has made its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show, and the production version is expected to soon make it to markets all over the world - including New Zealand.
Lala was part of the car's advanced product strategy team while was on secondment to Toyota USA for two and a half years.
'Without question the Supra is an iconic Japanese sports car,' he said in the wake of the model's reveal in Geneva.
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'As a youngster, I remember this was one of the most loved sports or street cars on the road, and I can't wait to reintroduce this to the roads of New Zealand.
'The production car is closely aligned to the original concept, so the design and styling is going to be exceptional and a real head-turner,' he said, adding that Toyota NZ has already had customers offering to pay deposits to secure the first cars.
Supra, which was built from 1978 to 2002, earned a reputation both as a formidable performer on the road and as an all-conquering machine on the racetrack, dominating Japan's top-level GT racing series.
The concept on display at Geneva provides a huge visual clue to the fact it heralds the Supra's return - it has a large '90' race number on its doors, which is the codename for the fifth-generation production car following the A40, A60, A70 and A80 series produced up to 2002.
This concept is a compact two-door coupe with a traditional front engine/rear drive configuration.
It features a dramatic body design with a large rear wing, and the chassis features lowered front and rear suspension with BBS racing wheels, Michelin racing tyres, and Brembo brakes.
The cabin is entirely competition focused and is fitted with a racing dashboard and OMP driver's seat, safety harness and quick-release steering wheel.
At the other end of the Toyota vehicle lineup at Geneva there's the new Corolla hatch, which is on display for the first time before its international launch - including New Zealand - later in the year.
Longer, wider and with a longer wheelbase than the current car, the new Corolla will be introduced with a range of hybrid electric and petrol powertrains.
Corolla's overall length has been increased by 40mm, all of which has been absorbed within the longer wheelbase. Height has been lowered by 25mm, and the cowl height is a significant 47mm lower than now.
'The new Corolla hatch will have a heavily European inspired design,' said Neeraj Lala of the new model, which is called Auris in Europe.
'It's going to be a brand-new ground-up build, on Toyota's new global platform, with a more gratifying driving experience.'