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Toyota dreams of having 3 different sport cars in their lineup
Toyota recently resurrected the Supra, and it appears they could do the same to the MR2 & Celica. Nothing appears to be set in stone, but Car & Driver is suggesting the MR2 & Celica could return in the future and complete Akio Toyoda’s dream of having a sports car lineup that consists of three different models.
Supra assistant chief engineer Masayuki Kai made the revelation during his test of the highly anticipated sports car. During a discussion, Kai said “We want to have [the] Celica back, we want to have the MR2 back.” Kai went on to say the company decided to bring the Supra back first because it had the “biggest demand from the market.” Now that the model is almost here, it’s possible that a new Celica or MR2 could be launched.
Kai suggested nothing is set in stone, but hinted a modern-day Celica could be an all-wheel drive performance coupe. The MR2, on the other hand, could keep its mid-engine layout. However, the company still has to figure out if a business case can be made for the models.
Details are limited, but the publication suggests car is still several years off and won’t arrive until 2024 at the earliest. That’s a long ways away and little is known about the model at this point. However, the publication noted the company has partnered with BMW and Subaru to create the Supra and 86. With that in mind, they believe the MR2 revival could potentially involve a partnership with another automaker. That remains unclear and so does the MR2’s powertrain. Kai praised Mazda and said he believes there are a “lot of things we need to learn” from the company. Kai also suggested that without the BMW and Toyota partnership, there probably wouldn’t be a new Z4 or Supra.
Toyota has previously said it intends to offer an electrified version of all its models by around 2025. Given this, it’s likely the MR2 would at least be offered with a hybrid powertrain. Of course, there’s also the possibility of conventionally powered variant and even the chance that the vehicle could be an EV.
Electric vehicles aren’t known for being particularly lightweight and that would definitely be a challenge if Toyota decided to go that route. However, the publication seemed to suggest this is the most likely option and the even mentioned the possibility that the MR2 could be positioned as a rival to an electric Porsche Boxster and Cayman. That sounds a bit odd, as Toyota already bills the Supra as a Cayman competitor, but C&D says the MR2 would cost less than $45,000. Assuming, it comes at all.
Toyota recently resurrected the Supra, and it appears they could do the same to the MR2 & Celica. Nothing appears to be set in stone, but Car & Driver is suggesting the MR2 & Celica could return in the future and complete Akio Toyoda’s dream of having a sports car lineup that consists of three different models.
Supra assistant chief engineer Masayuki Kai made the revelation during his test of the highly anticipated sports car. During a discussion, Kai said “We want to have [the] Celica back, we want to have the MR2 back.” Kai went on to say the company decided to bring the Supra back first because it had the “biggest demand from the market.” Now that the model is almost here, it’s possible that a new Celica or MR2 could be launched.
Kai suggested nothing is set in stone, but hinted a modern-day Celica could be an all-wheel drive performance coupe. The MR2, on the other hand, could keep its mid-engine layout. However, the company still has to figure out if a business case can be made for the models.
Details are limited, but the publication suggests car is still several years off and won’t arrive until 2024 at the earliest. That’s a long ways away and little is known about the model at this point. However, the publication noted the company has partnered with BMW and Subaru to create the Supra and 86. With that in mind, they believe the MR2 revival could potentially involve a partnership with another automaker. That remains unclear and so does the MR2’s powertrain. Kai praised Mazda and said he believes there are a “lot of things we need to learn” from the company. Kai also suggested that without the BMW and Toyota partnership, there probably wouldn’t be a new Z4 or Supra.
Toyota has previously said it intends to offer an electrified version of all its models by around 2025. Given this, it’s likely the MR2 would at least be offered with a hybrid powertrain. Of course, there’s also the possibility of conventionally powered variant and even the chance that the vehicle could be an EV.
Electric vehicles aren’t known for being particularly lightweight and that would definitely be a challenge if Toyota decided to go that route. However, the publication seemed to suggest this is the most likely option and the even mentioned the possibility that the MR2 could be positioned as a rival to an electric Porsche Boxster and Cayman. That sounds a bit odd, as Toyota already bills the Supra as a Cayman competitor, but C&D says the MR2 would cost less than $45,000. Assuming, it comes at all.
