BMW & Toyota Join Forces To (Hopefully) Create New Sports Car

Call it the "Bimmota."

Like a couple who gets married to further their careers but winds up creating something remarkable out of their union, BMW and Toyota are allying together in order to build a new sports car. So?in this situation, this new sports car is Suri Cruise?

Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda, who hopped a plane from Japan to Germany to discuss the companies? plans to work together, was happy to let slip his desire to see another sports car slot into the wide, wide gap between the Lexus LFA and the Scion FR-S. ?BMW?s strength is in developing sports cars. I am excited to think of the cars that will result from this relationship,? Toyoda said.

The new sports car built by the two companies would likely go into production both as a Toyota product and as a BMW?but don?t expect a repeat of the whole why-are-they-selling-identical-cars-at-the-same-price issue which a few people brought up regarding the Scion FR-S/Toyota GT 86 and the Subaru BRZ, either. The cars will each have their own styling, so Bimmer buyers won?t have to suffer the indignity of seeing an identical-looking Toyota sidle up alongside them at Sonic.

If you?re currently salivating over the thought of a modern-day M1 with a tri-turbo inline-six mounted in the middle of an carbon fiber chassis made with Toyota?s LFA-required CFRP knowhow, though, pump the brakes for a second. When you do, you?ll probably see a little icon that says ?CHARGING? pop up on the dash?because the BMW/Toyota sports car will probably be a hybrid. A BMW spokeswoman described the car as most likely ?a sustainable sports car with environmentally friendly technology;? considering Toyota?s boner for gas-electric powertrains (and BMW?s increasingly chubby unit regarding hybrids, too), that kind of language almost certainly means ?hybrid.?

So just what kind of sports car might this BMW/Toyota project produce? One possibility being whispered about within the halls of BMW is the creation of a new Toyota Supra, possibly using the BMW 6 Series chassis. There?s always the chance that Lexus might try and score their own version of the eco-friendly i8 sports car, too. But perhaps the most intriguing possibility would be using BMW parts to build a version of the popular Lexus LF-LC sports car concept the brand debuted at this year?s Detroit Auto Show. With BMW?s help on the chassis and suspension and, oh, let?s say a hybrid-assisted version of BMW?s twin-turbo 4.4 liter V8 making a total output of around 500 horsepower, a production LF-LC could be all kinds of fun. And that?s an emotion Toyota could certainly use more of in their lineup. [via Automotive News]

Source: http://www.0-60mag.com/news/2012/07/cars-bmw-toyota-join-forces-to-hopefully-create-new-sports-car/

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