Earlier this year, BMW->ke178 and Toyota->ke88 signed an agreement that will bring a new sports car to each companies’ lineup. It looks like even though the partnership was signed in January 2013, the two companies have been working on the new sports car for quite some time now.

It looks like the new sports car has received the green light from the same person that developed the Toyota GT86->ke4085: chief engineer Tetsuya Tada. According to him, the two companies are hoping for a "product that none of us could have imagined; something more than anyone expects."

The new sports car will be built on a heavily modified version of the GT86 platform and will likely be powered by an in-line four-cylinder engine from BMW. The two companies are considering naturally aspirated, supercharged and turbocharged versions of this engine, but these are unlikely to come to fruition, as these technologies will not mesh well with the two electric motors that the companies are planning to use with the gasoline engine.

It is rumored that the first concept version will be unveiled at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, with a production version to arrive in the next two years.

Click past the jump to read more about Toyota's last jointly developed sports car, the Toyota GT86.

Toyota GT 86

The GT86 - Toyota's sports car developed in partnership with Subaru - made its world debut at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show. The model's sibling is the Subaru BRZ and in the U.S., it is also sold as the Scion FRS.

The GT 86 is powered by a 2.0-liter naturally-aspirated flat-four engine - the result of a joint development between Subaru and Toyota - combined with D-4S technology (direct injection combined with port injection). This engine delivers a total of 200 horsepower and is mated to either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission.