Rumour suggests Toyota to pump brakes on all-electric GR Supra due to EV woes — BMW PHEV, ICE alternatives on the cards

Toyota has been slow to adopt electric vehicles, often arguing that hybrids, alternative fuels, and more efficient petrol engines are the way to go — at least until solid-state batteries make their long-awaited appearance. That said, recent rumours shared by Carscoops indicate that Toyota could diversify the upcoming sixth-generation GR Supra into two or three different drivetrains.

The most recent Toyota GR Supra is known for sharing its engine and platform with the BMW Z4. However, early reports indicated that the next-generation Supra would be based exclusively on the Toyota e-TNGA architecture, meaning it would be an EV-only design engineered by Toyota.

More recently, however, with the EV market seemingly slowing down some, rumours have emerged that Toyota is considering revisiting a BMW-engineered option for the GR Supra in addition to the all-electric model. A plug-in hybrid model could even potentially replace the EV drivetrain entirely.

The GR Supra has traditionally been a RWD sports car — which is why Toyota opted for the original BMW drivetrain, in the first place. Speculation indicates that Toyota may use the same RWD PHEV BMW XM drivetrain that is slated to arrive in the upcoming M5.

If Toyota is to adapt the e-TNGA architecture for the GR Supra, it will need to make some serious tweaks to the motors it is currently using. The closest current-generation Toyota EV that uses the e-TNGA architecture is the bZ4X, which features 241 hp. The current range-topping GR Supra, on the other hand, delivers 382 hp, putting it far ahead of what e-TNGA is currently capable of.

Looking at Toyota's history of BMW collaborations, it's also entirely possible that Toyota could work with BMW once again to use adapted Neue Klasse M3 underpinnings, since that will also come in compact RWD sports car form. Using the upcoming M3 drivetrain, however, would likely mean production of the GR Supra EV would be delayed until 2027 when the corresponding M3 is set to launch. A BMW M3 drivetrain would also mean a GR Supra EV capable of producing far more power, thanks to the 1,000+ hp limit of the Neue Klasse platform.

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