Toyota GR Supra production to end in spring 2026

Production of the Toyota GR Supra will wrap up in spring 2026, bringing the fifth generation of this iconic Japanese nameplate to a close. As before, it is bowing out without an immediate replacement lined up. Even so, Toyota says work is already under way on its return - and insists it will not take 20 years to come back.

Why Toyota GR Supra production is ending

The current Toyota Supra - developed in collaboration with BMW and built at Magna Steyr’s plant in Austria - is set to become uneconomical to keep in production as new global regulations arrive, along with the cost of engineering the necessary updates.

“From a cost-efficiency point of view, it’s simply inefficient to keep investing in a low-volume model like the Supra,” said Cooper Ericksen, Senior Vice President of Product Planning at Toyota Motor North America, in an interview with MotorTrend.

Partner or solo: the next Toyota Supra and BMW

Toyota stresses the Supra is not being abandoned. “There will definitely be a gap. The question is: how big will that gap be?” Ericksen said, adding: “Our goal is for it to be significantly smaller,” compared with the previous 20-year absence.

The Supra’s 2019 comeback was only possible because of the tie-up with BMW, which also produced the Z4. Now, the key unknown is whether Toyota will once again work with the Bavarian brand or choose to develop the successor on its own. “We don’t yet know when or how,” Ericksen reiterated.

David Christ, head of the Toyota division in North America, also confirmed there is internal appetite for a new model: “We’d love to do a new generation of the Supra. I’d like to be in that meeting, but I probably won’t be. That decision is well above me.”

Supra delayed, but not forgotten

For the moment, Toyota is directing its resources towards higher-volume, more strategically important launches. The arrival of the next-generation RAV4 in 2026 - with an electrified platform, a new multimedia system and additional technology - is one example of the scale of investment needed to keep a line-up competitive, with 35 models across Toyota and Lexus in the US alone.

“We’d like to do everything right now, but our hands are full just keeping our core products selling,” Ericksen noted. He likened the Supra’s situation to an ageing house: “Either you renovate or you build anew. And in this case, the Supra needs a new house.”

Despite the uncertainty, the commitment to bringing the Supra back remains. “The goal is to have a new generation of the Supra. With or without a partner. We’ll have to wait and see. My goal is to deliver a product that our enthusiasts love again,” he concluded.