BMW And Toyota Plug-In Hybrid Supercar Codenamed “Silk Road 2”

The Toyota and BMW technology-sharing alliance will soon start bearing fruit, including a new hybrid sports car. Car Magazine reports that this Toyota and BMW joint project, code named “Silk Road 2”, will spawn a new BMW Z7 and Lexus ZC/ZR hybrid supercars to compete with Porsche.

Priced at around €90,000, or about $122,000, the BMW and Lexus supercars and the nitty-gritty on the details is drool-worthy. The plan calls for a mid-engine plug-in hybrid supercar pairing a six-cylinder engine with a 150 horsepower electric motor. The 3.0 liter twin-turbo inline-six will be supplied by BMW, which pushed for this project to begin with. A seven-speed dual-clutch transmission will send power to the road, with the batteries beneath or between the seats. Composite brakes provide stopping power and an active aerodynamic system will help it slip through the air. There’s also been mention of all-wheel drive and supercapacitors in the past months, but at this point it’s all rumor and hearsay…which is about as good as it gets in this industry.

The pricing makes me wonder how this new hybrid supercar will slot in BMW’s lineup, considering the pricing is within 10% of the BMW i8. For Lexus though, their lineup is wide open for a new two-door, mid-engine sports car that could boast more than 450 horsepower, and you can bet that carbon fiber will play a big role in keeping weight as low as possible.
Can you dig it? Because I sure as hell do.