In the absence of any real news about vehicles that may result from the joint venture between BMW and Toyota, car nuts around the world are speculating on what we might expect. We’re pretty sure each company will produce a sports car with shared powerplants and components, and that they will each have their own unique exterior and interior designs. BMW said last year the car would be a radically redesigned Z4, while earlier this year Toyota gave the impression it would be the replacement for the Supra.
Some speculate that the cars will be hybrids using supercapacitor technology. BMW demonstrated supercapacitor technology on the X3 EfficientDynamics concept car back in 2005, and Toyota previewed it last year in Frankfurt with its Yaris Hybrid R.
If BMW’s recent use of carbon fiber on the i3 electric vehicle and i8 plug-in hybrid sports car is any indication, a new Z4 would probably also make extensive use of the lightweight material.
The fantasy Z4 shown here is a photographic design exercise from Autocar.com on what a new Z4 might look like. If this actually was the new Z4, I could live with it—if they took out that horizontal whatever-it-is from the grille.—Scott Blazey
Photo courtesy of Autocar.com.
