Autocar January 16, 2019

THE WORST-KEPT SECRET of the past few months is out: Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is to cut more than 10% of its 43,000-strong global workforce, the main headline of a huge cost-cutting and restructuring programme (page 14). Yet amid the darkness there remains light – and opportunity. As part of the plan, JLR confirms it will make electric drive units in the UK in its Wolverhampton engine plant, and construct a new battery plant in Birmingham. JLR also says it will continue to launch new models into segments in which the firm doesn’t yet compete. That’s heartening, for JLR is at its strongest as a leader, not a follower. Everything with a Range Rover badge is truly something different among peers. The most successful Jaguars are the ones that do their own…

THE WORST-KEPT SECRET of the past few months is out: Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is to cut more than 10% of its 43,000-strong global workforce, the main headline of a huge cost-cutting and restructuring programme (page 14). Yet amid the darkness there remains light – and opportunity. As part of the plan, JLR confirms it will make electric drive units in the UK in its Wolverhampton engine plant, and construct a new battery plant in Birmingham. JLR also says it will continue to launch new models into segments in which the firm doesn’t yet compete. That’s heartening, for JLR is at its strongest as a leader, not a follower. Everything with a Range Rover badge is truly something different among peers. The most successful Jaguars are the ones that do…

“The Supra GR was developed alongside the BMW Z4 and shares a turbo 3.0-litre straight six” The new Toyota GR Supra – a model which returns after a 17-year break – is a sports car “in the purest form”, according to the Japanese manufacturer, with a singular focus on driver pleasure. The fifth-generation Supra retains the front-engined, rear-wheel-drive, two-seat layout of previous versions. The Porsche 718 Cayman rival has been honed by Toyota’s Gazoo Racing performance division and was developed alongside the BMW Z4, with which it shares a 3.0-litre straight-six turbocharged engine producing 335bhp and 362lb ft, and an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The BMW-developed inline six-cylinder used in the GR Supra features a twin-scroll turbocharger, with direct fuel injection and variable valve control. It has been tuned, says Toyota, to offer ‘segment-leading’…

“The Supra GR was developed alongside the BMW Z4 and shares a turbo 3.0-litre straight six” The new Toyota GR Supra – a model which returns after a 17-year break – is a sports car “in the purest form”, according to the Japanese manufacturer, with a singular focus on driver pleasure. The fifth-generation Supra retains the front-engined, rear-wheel-drive, two-seat layout of previous versions. The Porsche 718 Cayman rival has been honed by Toyota’s Gazoo Racing performance division and was developed alongside the BMW Z4, with which it shares a 3.0-litre straight-six turbocharged engine producing 335bhp and 362lb ft, and an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The BMW-developed inline six-cylinder used in the GR Supra features a twin-scroll turbocharger, with direct fuel injection and variable valve control. It has been tuned, says Toyota,…

The GR Supra’s numbers, then, are where we suspected: around 340bhp and 1500kg, plus the even weight distribution and high torsional rigidity we already knew about. It all goes to make the Supra, as we found in our advance drive of a prototype, a nicely balanced car with a pleasing level of performance. Powered by a 3.0-litre turbo straight six, and the automatic gearbox that most buyers will want, the GR Supra is where it needs to be right now. What intrigues me is where it goes from here. Chances are the wick will be turned up – but perhaps turned down, too. There’s a 2.0 BMW Z4 ‘20i’ engine with 194bhp, but fitted to a Supra this strikes me as a more expensive, less interesting, GT86. So BMW’s 30i engine, the…

1978-1981 Toyota Celica Supra (A40/A50) The Supra badge was first used for a longer, wider, more powerful spin-off of the Celica, and developed for the grand tourer market in North America and Japan. The Celica’s four-cylinder engine was swapped for an inline six. 1981-1985 Toyota Celica Supra (A60) The introduction of a third-generation Celica meant a new second-gen Celica Supra, featuring a longer wheelbase, a distinct front end and a range-topping 2.8-litre twin-cam engine. This was the first Supra offered in the UK. 1985-1993 Toyota Supra (A70) The first stand-alone Supra resulted from the Celica’s switch to front-wheel drive, while the grand tourer continued to send power to the rear axle. There was new coupé bodywork and a range of four straight-six engines. 1993-2002 Toyota Supra (A80) The fourth-gen Supra took four years to develop, with design…