The current BMW Z4 is a well-known performance staple for coupe and convertible enthusiasts, so you'd expect the next version to be somewhat similar. Turns out it might be anything but: BMW's newly minted alliance with Toyota will result in a hybrid all-wheel-drive Z4 replacement, complete with supercapacitor technology for increased performance, Autocar reports.

Like the current model, the new Z4 will have a front-engine layout, but with a direct-injection four cylinder and electric motors driving all four wheels instead of just the rear axle.

Meanwhile, the supercapacitor-infused system will be derived from technology first seen in Toyota's Le Mans LMP1 race car; the plug-in hybrid system employs supercapacitors for "short-term kinetic energy storage and a performance boost," according to the report.

Autocar quotes an unnamed source as saying the Z4 replacement will also feature a sequential manual transmission, and possibly a high-strength steel and aluminum floorpan with less load-bearing elements fashioned in carbon fiber. And as with the Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S, the BMW and Toyota versions will have individual exterior and interior styling elements.

Toyota will provide the drivetrain elements, while BMW will design the exterior and platform. A spiritual successor to the Toyota Supra and based on the Toyota FT-1 EV supercar concept we saw in Detroit back in January (pictured above) is also widely expected to be in the works.

Back in September, BMW unveiled the i8, a striking $136,000 two-seat sports car with a 1.5-liter turbo three-cylinder and electric motor combination that delivers a total of 360hp with hybrid sedan-like fuel economy.