The small Toyota MR2 sports coupe could be back
The Japanese manufacturer, in the last period, has made a fair number of enthusiasts happy by marketing the GR86, the Supra with manual gearbox and the Corolla GR. Cars of a certain caliber which, in an era that aims at electrification and the "leveling" of some aspects, appears to be a more than surprising move. However, what Toyota lacks is a compact two-seater car perhaps with a canvas roof or with the alternative license plate; a sort of Mazda MX-5 or Fiat 124 Abarth, an everyday solution but with low consumption and running costs.In the past, Toyota had delighted us with the MR2, for three generations, a car that now it could return to the market in a whole new guise. Already last year there were rumors of a possible return with Porsche as a technical partner, but now the story seems to have taken a different turn and could be helped by Suzuki. In the past few hours, a mysterious page has appeared on the Toyota Australia website regarding a possible replacement of the air conditioning system of the new MR2. Sure it could be a spare part dedicated to a past generation, however it seems very unusual for a page of this type to appear for a car that went out of production in 2007. Furthermore, this section of the Toyota site does not usually contain information for older models, but only references to solutions currently on the market.
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Toyota GR Yaris Platform to Underpin Affordable Mid-Engined Sports Car: Report
Toyota is reportedly developing a small, mid-engined sports car that could be cheaper than the 2022 Toyota GR86.
Citing Best Car (an often reliable Japanese magazine) Forbes reported this week that Toyota, its subsidiary Daihatsu, and ally Suzuki are teaming up to build a mid-engined sports car. It'll reportedly be based on Toyota's GA-B platform (used in the GR Yaris), and powered by a 998-cc turbo three-cylinder from Suzuki. Rather than the 109 horsepower and 125 pound-feet of torque it makes in the Suzuki Swift, the engine is reportedly expected to make about 150 horsepower. From there, it'll apparently travel to the rear wheels through a six-speed torque converter automatic transmission. The car may arrive in 2025 with a price in the mid-$20,000s.
This development expands on a collaborative sports car rumor that circulated last December, albeit with details on the platform, pricing, and arrival timing missing. It fits a recent pattern of Toyota splitting the development of new models with other makes: Toyota worked with BMW on the GR Supra, and Subaru on the BZ4X and GR86.
However, the rumor doesn't fit perfectly with Toyota's known plans for its sports car lineup. In 2019, the Supra's program lead said there isn't room below the GR86 in Toyota's 'Three Brothers' sports car lineup. Since then, Toyota has muddied the waters on whether a third member (like a rebooted Celica or MR2) is actually coming, or is already here in the form of the GR Yaris or GR Corolla—Toyota declined to tell us earlier this year whether either completes the trinity.
For now, it seems all we can do is cross our fingers that the mid-engined Toyota will return one day. If you have a direct line to Akio Toyoda, now would be the time to make that call.
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