Report: Toyota Supra and BMW Z4 Production to Cease in 2026
Magna Steyr is an automotive manufacturer in Graz, Austria. It builds vehicles for other companies and is, in fact, the world’s largest builder of cars and trucks for other manufacturers, with—according to a press release from the company—the capacity to build 200,000 vehicles a year.
The company has built four million vehicles for 11 different companies in the past 120 years. Those products range from the Jaguar I-Pace to the Aston Martin Rapide to the Mini Countryman.
And, since 2018, the Toyota Supra and BMW Z4.
That’s the background for a story this week in Automotive News focused not on the sporting BMW/Toyota pair but instead on chronicling the troubles of Fisker, the electric vehicle company, which also used Magna Steyr as a manufacturing outlet for the Fisker Ocean SUV. The story quoted a statement released by Fisker on Tuesday: “Fisker’s Austria entity is primarily focused on managing the contract manufacturing of Fisker’s revolutionary electric vehicles; it has recently faced challenges to its operations and financial health.”
Consequently, Fisker’s Austrian division essentially filed for bankruptcy, and apparently cancelled its contract with Magna Steyr. Which is part of what has caused Magna Steyr to lay off 500 employees—contracts will also be up for the company to build the BMW 5-Series and a pair of Jaguar models.
Fisker’s woes are not really news. But the real lede, at least as far as enthusiasts are concerned, was buried way down in the seventh paragraph of the Automotive News story: “Production of the BMW Z4 and Toyota Supra models, which share a platform, will end in 2026.”
Reports that the Z4 was coming to the end of its life have circulated, with the production end supposedly in March of 2026. And it makes sense that the Supra would end production about the same time, since the GR Supra is basically a fixed-roof version of the Z4, sharing with it a platform as well as a BMW-sourced engine and transmission. The loss of the Supra, one of the last performance vehicles still offered with a manual transmission, hurts. (The 2025 Z4 will also have a manual-transmission option.)
Not that the Supra set the world on fire sales-wise. Says a companion story in Automotive News: “U.S. sales have declined precipitously since peaking at 6830 vehicles in 2021. Last year, Toyota sold 2652 Supras in the U.S., down 46 percent. Through April, deliveries are off an additional 29 percent to 817 vehicles. Since going on sale in 2019, the Supra has recorded a grand total of 24,022 deliveries in the U.S. — the equivalent of a strong month’s worth of Corolla volume.”
Certainly, a company with Toyota’s resources could build a sixth-generation Supra if it wanted to, but given the disappointing sales of the fifth-generation model, that seems unlikely.
And Toyota isn’t talking. “We cannot comment on future products,” said Toyota Senior Analyst Breanne McCallop.
Our best advice: If you want a Supra, or for that matter, a Z4, don’t wait too long.
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With the auto market in a mess and interest and prices up it is not a good time for a small expensive car like this. Add to it lots of competition at this price point too that is proven.
The new Corvette is the only one that has been very strong and it is slowing now.
My father once remarked about the 1962 Valiant models that “they look they were designed by a cake decorator.” My first view of a current generation Supra reminded me of Dad’s comment.
“Certainly, a company with Toyota’s resources could build a sixth-generation Supra if it wanted to, but given the disappointing sales of the fifth-generation model, that seems unlikely.”
They could have built an actual fifth generation Supra also but decided to trade the Supra name and reputation on some BMW parts that they tuned. Toyota was lazy and still is.
Disappointing sales? The moment that BMW came out with a Supra name stamped on it it turned off many of the Toyota/Supra faithful. People like me who own a fourth generation Supra would have considered this if not for Toyota’s cynical attitude and lack of respect for their brand or the Supra name. They asked owners what they wanted and the proceeded to ignore it. The Zupra is a fine BMW coupe tuned by Toyota, but it’s no Toyota or a Supra. They should have named it something else.
Good riddance Zupra!
Everything else aside, the pricing of the Supra has always been my stumbling block with it. The 3.0 base is $55k, more than a base manual V-8 Mustang, and only $10k less than a base Corvette, which is a lot more sportscar. Add to that the lack of a manual for most of it’s existence, and it never made sense. You could get a good quick nimble manual sports car in the GR86 starting at $30k.
My other issue was the inside of a GR86 is more spacious for a tall guy like me than the Supra. Better visibility too.
Bring it back to 100% Toyota. Turbo 6 and 6 speed trans, and call it a winner. Make sure it has back seats.
It’s not the BMW guts, and it’s not the price. The reason the Supra has sold poorly is that it’s butt ugly, plain and simple.