Magna Steyr is one of the biggest unseen car makers out there, working tirelessly in the shadowy parts of Austria to make some very noticeable cars: they’ve been building Mercedes-Benz G-Wagens since 1979, and they’ve been building BMW’s 5-series cars and the Jaguar E-Pace since last year. They’re a major automotive manufacturer but not a brand, and according to Automotive News Europe, they’ll soon be building two new very important cars, the co-developed Toyota Supra and the BMW Z4.
It’s also worth mentioning that Steyr-Puch (which became Magna Steyr in 2001) also made what I’ve always thought is the best version of the Fiat 500, the Steyr-Puch 500.
It had a really amazing flat-twin engine! But that’s another story.
Automotive News Europe reports that they were informed by “industry sources familiar with the matter” though, as is normal practice, none of the involved companies has confirmed anything, and a statement from Magna Steyr confirms precisely nothing:
“No announcement has been made by BMW or Toyota and we are therefore unable to comment.”
BMW’s already existing relationship with Magna Steyr lends some credence to the idea, along with the fact that this relationship has been speculated since at least 2016. I’d say this is a pretty safe bet.
So, everyone get excited for the return to America of one of Japan’s most iconic sports cars, co-developed by Germans and built in Austria!