The return of the Toyota Supra is inching closer and closer to reality. You probably can't tell by reading this, but you can imagine us doing our happy dance now that more details about the sports car are coming to light. MotorTrend has the latest on the Toyota->ke88-BMW->ke178 collaboration and sources close to Toyota have told the auto site that the all-new Supra will be a plug-in hybrid.

We're not surprised about this news, especially in today's world where hybrid technology has become universally embraced within the industry. MotorTrend's sources also indicated that the new Supra will use a BMW-sourced, turbocharged, 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine. This powertrain will then be combined with the Japanese automaker's new super-conductor hybrid technology.

This kind of setup isn't exactly new to Toyota, as the company has already tinkered with a similar package on the Yaris Hybrid R Concept that was first introduced at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show->ke235. Toyota even took it a step further when it used this system in the TS040 Hybrid race car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans last month.

So what does this all mean for the new Supra? For one, it's going to be vastly different from its predecessor, which featured a turbocharged, 3.0-liter engine the last time we saw it. That model was good for 320 horsepower and 315 pound-feet of torque. This time around, the new Supra's hybrid engine is expected to be slightly more powerful, with an estimated output of somewhere north of 400 horsepower.

It's not that big of an increase but the improved efficiency should do wonders in making the Supra a more pleasurable ride.

Click past the jump to read more about the BMW-Toyota sports car.

Why It Matters

It's incredibly important for Toyota to differentiate the Supra from its BMW counterpart. That's largely the reason why the former is embracing the potential of a hybrid engine in the all-new Supra. This at least shows us that despite the collaboration between the two companies, both models will not only look completely different from each other, but will also use different engines that will likely result in different performance.

Toyota FT-1 Concept

Years from now, we're all going to remember the FT-1 Concept as arguably one of the most important ones Toyota has eve built. We already know that the FT-1 Concept was prepared as a preview model for the Toyota Supra, which means that the concept will soon make the transformation into a production model.

The concept was well-received when it made its debut in January 2014, thanks to its "function-sculpting" design language that makes use of a curved, muscular, and expressive body.

Toyota is also tinkering with the idea of using a variety of engines in the new Supra, beginning with a 2.0-liter engine from the upcoming Lexus NX 200T and a more powerful, 2.5-liter, turbocharged, V-6, hybrid powertrain that can pump out as much as 400 horsepower.