Toyota Supra, BMW Z4 To Be Produced By Magna Steyr In Austria

BMW and Toyota have picked contract manufacturer Magna Steyr to build their jointly developed sports cars, meaning the BMW Z4 and the Toyota Supra.

The two new models will be produced at Magna Steyr’s Graz factory in Austria, according to a report from Automotive News which cites industry sources familiar with the matter.

Toyota previewed the production Supra with the Gazoo Racing Supra Racing Concept at the Geneva Motor Show. The revived Japanese sports car will enter production in the first half of 2019 and will be positioned as a halo model in Toyota’s lineup.

The new BMW Z4 was also previewed with the Z4 Concept last summer, at the Monterey Car Week in Pebble Beach.

Despite the two models being jointly developed on the same architecture, Toyota’s chief engineer has reportedly confirmed that the similarities between the Supra and the Z4 will be “fewer than many imagine”.

Tetsuya Tada said that while there will still be common components shared between the two cars, the Toyota Supra is designed from the start as a “pure sports car” whereas the Z4 will go in a “slightly different direction”.

Magna Steyr’s Graz plant is also the home of the Mercedes G-Class since 1979 and the Jaguar E-Pace, with the electric I-Pace set to be added now. The contract manufacturer also builds some versions of the BMW 5-Series.