Incoming Toyota chairman pushing for Supra revival

If Toyota's incoming chairman gets his way, a new-age Supra will soon join the automaker's lineup.

Speaking at an event earlier today in Japan, Takeshi Uchiyamada, Toyota's next chairman, said that he would like to see the company's upcoming sports car – which is currently being co-developed with BMW – be a spiritual successor to the Supra, referring the iconic coupe that was discontinued in the United States following the 1998 model year.

"That's what I want but it's not me who makes the decision,” Uchiyamada said, according to Bloomberg, noting that Toyota's engineers will have the final say on the project. However, we haven't met an engineer yet that wouldn't jump at the opportunity to revive a storied sports car like the Supra.

Previous reports have suggested that Toyota could show off a concept version of its upcoming mid-size sports car as early as this fall's Tokyo Motor Show, but the Japanese automaker has yet to confirm those rumors.

BMW's plans for the sports car are a little less clear, but it could serve as the basis for another 1990s nameplate revival – the 8-Series.