Production of MR2 stopped in 2007; new car will be a coupé instead of roadster

[Atropine]

My favorite cars I have ever owned were my 3 AW-11 MR2s and my current Supra.

THe Supra is more of a GT Car I think...

But that top red MR2 looks ncie.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by gymratter

https://www.carscoops.com/2021/10/ho...eport-in-2021/

Nice to see a car site actually dispute a clickbait story instead of perpetuating it like they usually do.

The only thing about it that I would contend is that the rumor has existed far longer than the 2018/19 period they reference. Yes it was expanded in 2019 based on the supposed quote by Tada but this thread alone is from 2009 and it was already strongly rumored even back then.

[Red-86]

Originally Posted by Irace86.2.0

Just stop… they have zero reason to introduce the MR2

I agree that a new MR2 is very unlikely, I think people just enjoy the idle speculation.

The GR86, GR Yaris and GR Supra fill all the price points for Toyota and cover the NA lightweight buyer’s needs, the AWD rally buyer’s needs and the premium turbo/power person’s needs.

This is true, although it is possible Akio Toyoda really wants a new MR2. But with so many Toyota sports cars already covering key price points, I cannot see the business case and doubt that the bean counters at Toyota would let Akio greenlight yet another low volume sports car. They let him have the 86, Supra and GR Yaris, I can see them saying ‘Enough is enough!’

I feel like Toyota’s goal was always three sporty cars, and they have that.

True. TBH I think a new Celica based off the TNGA Corolla platform is more likely than a new MR2 as the development costs would be so much lower. Not that a new Celica is likely because coupe hatchbacks are a dying market segment, but a new MR2 is even more improbable IMO. I’d love to be proven wrong though.

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by Red-86

This is true, although it is possible Akio Toyoda really wants a new MR2. But with so many Toyota sports cars already covering key price points, I cannot see the business case and doubt that the bean counters at Toyota would let Akio greenlight yet another low volume sports car. They let him have the 86, Supra and GR Yaris, I can see them saying ‘Enough is enough!’ .

Maybe, just maybe, Toyoda wants a sports car in the lineup that actually is a Toyota, from the ground up. I know I would if I were him.

[dpfarr]

There’s some Lexus that are Toyota through and through right?

[Captain Snooze]

Originally Posted by Red-86

I agree that a new MR2 is very unlikely, I think people just enjoy the idle speculation.

Given the amount of comments I'm thinking it's not idle, it's redline speculation.

[Red-86]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

Maybe, just maybe, Toyoda wants a sports car in the lineup that actually is a Toyota, from the ground up. I know I would if I were him.

Arguably that car already exists, the GR Yaris. 100% Toyota. It’s an AWD hot hatch rather than a RWD coupe, but still close enough to a 100% Toyota sports car that I can’t see the bean counters at Toyota green lighting yet *another* sports car.

Also, if an MR2 was to happen, it seems very likely Toyota would partner with another company again to piggyback on a shared platform. Lotus perhaps, or the occasionally rumoured Porsche partnership. If they did that, however, people would bag the new car for not being a real Toyota again, plus I imagine it would be very expensive (probably more expensive than the Supra) which would defeat the intent behind the MR2 as being an affordable sports car.

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by Red-86

Arguably that car already exists, the GR Yaris. 100% Toyota. It’s an AWD hot hatch rather than a RWD coupe, but still close enough to a 100% Toyota sports car that I can’t see the bean counters at Toyota green lighting yet *another* sports car.

Yea, I realize its wishful thinking on my part, although I don't consider a "hot hatch" a purpose built sports car.

I get why Toyota has chosen to partner with others on these low volume cars, but it just seems to me the more they do it, the more they aren't partnering but rebadging a slightly tweaked version of someone else's car.

You know, bought not built...

[pope]

I have not read this whole thread and I don't care one way or the other about the MR2, but I could see a potential business case for an MR2 positioned above the Supra as a partnership with Porsche (VW) to collaborate on battery/charging/hybrid tech and rebody the upcoming electric Cayman as an MR2.

[Kiske]

Can't see that. Porsche only non-inhouse engines are shared within their family company VW/Audi's Rheinmetall Group. They happen to be their non-flat engines (V6, and V8) found in the Cayenne, Macan and Panamera... not their popular sports cars.

Porsche has already employed their E-hybrid technology in car since 2013 across most models and full electric with their successful Taycan. So why bother with Toyota when Porsche and VAG already are sharing in house electrification that benefits all their own companies?


Lastly, there is zero case for slotting a MR2 above the Supra MKV IMO. The MKV will end production in 3 years. If the rumors for the S58 to be coming to the Supra are true, then that already pushes the cars price tag up another 20 grand maxing out the place where the MR2 would go.



My guess would be that a MR2 might replace the Supra. If there is no A100 planned with BMW.


Just throwing this up. BMW is just stopped production with of the i8. Said to be replacing it in the near future with something based off Vision M Next concept with a rear mounted turbo 3 cylinder in a 600hp hybrid setup... MR2 partnership? Let the outcry begin!

[nikitopo]

I don't think Toyota cares that much about sports cars and they don't have a clear future direction either. We know the story behind the 86/BRZ project. Toyota was quite dedicated at first and they were sending each year a racing team in Germany for R&D, but this was stopped in '16 and they lost after their interest.

Same with Supra that it looks it happened by chance. I doubt they would have any kind of co-operation with BWM if there wasn't this Lexus-BMW crash in Germany to catch their attention:



They lost their chief test driver in this crash. No-one was killed in the BMW test car ...

Same with the GR Yaris who was mainly a child of Tommi Mäkinen. He was working on a project 86 AWD car and then managed somehow to approach Toyota and convinced them to build a WRC team.