Remember when Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda cheekily announced a new mid-engined model for Tokyo Auto Salon 2026 (TAS 2026)? It had us all convinced we were seeing the return of the iconic Toyota MR2, only for Toyota to troll us all by unveiling two customised Kei trucks instead. Technically, they were mid-engined two-seaters, but the reveal was met with a collective groan from disappointed enthusiasts worldwide.
Perhaps to make it up to us, Toyota Gazoo Racing President Tomoya Takahashi has now officially confirmed that the brand is indeed working on a mid-engined sports car. It feels like the ultimate peace offering for fans, though we’ll still need to be patient for the mid-engined sports car’s official arrival.
As reported by Carscoops, the project is currently in the first of four development stages, a process that typically spans four to five years. As such, we likely won’t see the production version until its debut in the early 2030s.
Rumours of the Toyota MR2’s return went into full overdrive when Toyota unveiled the GR Yaris M Concept. Departing from its standard front-engined layout, this prototype featured the all-new G20E 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine in a dedicated mid-engined configuration, mounted behind the driver’s seat.
Although the Gazoo Racing head did not reveal the model’s official name, the model is likely to be the all-new Toyota MR2. This is supported by recent trademark filings for both the “GR MR2” and “GR MR-S” nameplates.
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Takahashi did however confirm that the new mid-engined sports car will still feature an internal combustion engine, with the most likely candidate being the aforementioned G20E. This powerplant is versatile enough to accommodate front-, mid-, or rear-engined layouts. He added that the engine has the potential to power larger models while meeting Euro 7 regulations without the aid of electrification, though it is being developed to support hybrid systems if required in the future.
“We developed it to fit in a small car like the GR Yaris because the packaging and engineering are more demanding. If we can do that, we can easily deploy it in bigger vehicles,” Takahashi said. “If we are going to mount this engine on many different vehicles, it’s almost mandatory to be able to combine it with hybrid technology. We will be making such [a] development.”
The G20E is developed with target outputs of around 400 hp and 500 Nm before any hybrid assistance. While that is plenty for an MR2-sized sports car, engineers have reportedly suggested that with a larger turbocharger, 600 hp is technically possible—though that latter figure is likely reserved for the racetrack.
Still, we will have to wait until the 2030s to see the all-new Toyota MR2 come to life. We can only hope that when the time comes, Toyota doesn’t pull another cheeky fast one on us.
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