Toyota Supra Chief Engineer says no to hybrid version

With a more powerful version of the Toyota Supra on the cards for 2021, the Chief Engineer behind the revived sports coupe has brushed talks of a hybrid or cabriolet model aside.

In an interview with motoring.com.au, Tetsuya Tada said that he had given the thumbs down to a hybrid model in spite of the automaker pushing for electrification of all of its models by 2025.

“The Toyota marketing people are asking me to develop a hybrid Supra and I say no. When you think about the battery space, the performance will be worse … I don’t like it [hybrid] personally. Personally I love the nostalgic gasoline engine; the smell and the sound like a sports car,” he told the online platform.

Denouncing a hybrid model further despite the 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six B58 engine being hybrid comparable in some BMW models, Tada stated that the inclusion of the aforementioned batteries won’t only compromise space, but fun as “it will be heavier”.

“Of course the technology is advancing so maybe in the near future there will be a point where you can use EV or hybrid in this car, but at the moment not. For the new generation engineers, maybe they can do it. I am a very old engineer”.

At the same time, he also confirmed that a soft-top Supra won’t be developed as no demand for such a model exists, while the possibility of a manual gearbox, which has been developed, will only depend on demand.

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