Toyota's New Sports Car Might Not Be Called the Supra

Even though the internet has already christened Toyota’s upcoming sports car the Supra, this name is not actually set in stone.

While sitting down for a one-on-one interview with AutoGuide.com during the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show, Jack Hollis, group vice president and general manager of the Toyota division said, “Yes, we have other ideas, and yes, the Supra name is in consideration.”

“I think that there is some discussion because the heritage of Supra is so strong,” explained Hollis. But it appears Toyota management is still deep in deliberation. “The name decision will not be made until next year as well. There are some other candidates for some other reasons that are really pretty strong.”

While Hollis didn’t touch on the other contenders, the company does have plenty of sports-car heritage to draw upon. Important nameplates from decades past and possible nominees could include the 2000GT, Sports 800, MR2 and maybe even Camry Solara (kidding).

Despite Toyota’s apparent indecision, this hasn’t stopped the internet from drawing its own conclusions. Supra appears to be the de facto name for the brand’s upcoming sports machine, something the company has no intent to put the kibosh on yet.

“In today’s world of social media,” explained Hollis, “[We] let it go where it goes because that may even help to direct the final answer.”

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The name of this future model hasn’t been decided and, perhaps not surprisingly, neither has the release date. Hollis said it’s “fluctuating” and that Toyota doesn’t “even have necessarily a two-to-three-month window.” Despite this ambiguity, he did acknowledge that next year, more concrete information about this highly anticipated car will be released, so we don’t have to wait too much longer.

BMW and Toyota have partnered to develop this upcoming sports car, but being in charge of North American operations, Hollis isn’t privy to the nitty-gritty of this relationship, though he did note that it has been beneficial for each company. “Both seem to be pushing each other in a lot… more effective ways than we even expected.”

Toyota’s upcoming sports car is getting close to launch every day, though it remains to be seen what it will be called and when it arrives at dealerships. Reiterating, Hollis noted, “I will say Supra is definitely a… leading candidate.”

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