By Karl Peskett.
It’s been a long time between drinks for the Toyota Supra, with the last model rolling off the production line back in 2002. But almost two decades later, the rear-wheel-drive, two-door sports machine is back, hitting dealerships later this year.
Because it’s been a while, the suspense has been killing us, and from prototype drive reports, the 2020 Toyota Supra is set to bring back passion for hot Toyotas. That’s something that hasn’t been said for many, many years.
As an aside: If you’re wondering why it’s being released this year but being called a 2020 model, car model years go from July to June instead of January to December.
With a turbocharged inline six-cylinder producing 250kW, 50/50 weight distribution and a 0-100kmh time of just over four seconds, it has success written all over it. And judging by the price of the first one to be built, Toyota will certainly have its hands full trying to keep up with demand.
At the latest Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction, the very first production Supra sold for a staggering US$2.1 million. It’s a Launch Edition finished in matte gray, with all the proceeds going to the American Heart Association and Bob Woodruff Foundation.
As always, you’d expect an auction to drive up the price a little, but considering the very first 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (with over 500kW, mind you) only sold for US$1.1 million, the Supra’s sale price is quite astounding.
Don’t worry, though. It should be a bit cheaper when it hits out shores, which is a relief.
Ghosn is going, going, gone
Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn has certainly got himself into hot water recently. Well, we should say former Nissan boss, as both Nissan and Mitsubishi have removed him as chairman, though at this stage he is still chairman of Renault.
It kicked off in November with the 64-year-old arrested on charges of financial misconduct. Nissan claimed that Ghosn seriously misreported his income, with a whistleblower stepping forward to incriminate both Ghosn and representative director Greg Kelly. And we’re not talking an insignificant accounting error here. Ghosn received around AU$60 million over five years in undeclared income.
This time, both Nissan and Mitsubishi say that Ghosn received around AU$12.4 million in “improper” payments without consulting the board of directors.
Despite having several sets of charges laid against him, Carlos Ghosn has protested his innocence, stating through his lawyers that he “always acted with integrity and have never been accused of any wrongdoing in my several-decade professional career.”
Expect this saga to be a long and protracted one – we’ll keep you up to date when the court reaches its verdict.
Good Karma for Pininfarina
If there were two names that stood out in the automotive design world, it would have to be Ian Callum and Henrik Fisker. Both worked for Aston Martin, but it was Fisker that penned two of the most iconic models the company had ever produced – the V8 Vantage and the first DB9.
Since those early days, he has been creating his own vehicles, with Fisker as a brand producing some delicious styling, particularly with its Fisker Karma. But unfortunately, Fisker’s company flatlined, making way for Karma Automotive to rise from the ashes.
The company produces the Karma Revero, basically a Fisker Karma which has been fettled, and is a competitor to the Porsche Panamera hybrid. It’s an American-based but Chinese-owned company and while it’s not a volume seller, the shape is unmistakable.
Think of the possibilities, then, when Italian design house Pininfarina (which is also going to produce a supercar) announced its intention to team up with Karma Automotive. The tie-up is to further product design as well as R&D.
Karma’s CEO Lance Zhou said in a statement: “Karma is united in spirit with Pininfarina through our shared commitment to stunning design, and we are excited about the reaction we anticipate the end result of our partnership will generate.”
There’s not a lot of detail apart from that, but we’re sure that with two teams of very talented stylists in both companies, we’re going to see some stunning metal come out of the synergy.
