Reborn MR2 to take on MX-5

Toyota is set to bring back a compact, everyday sports car to rival Mazda's roadster

- FELIX PAGE

Toyota is priming a small, affordable sports car to rival the Mazda MX-5 for a launch within the next two years - and it's tipped to stick with pure-combustion power.

Building on the success of its GR Yaris, GR86 and GR Supra sports cars, the company is reportedly developing a new entrylevel performance model, evolved from the never-made S-FR concept. According to Japanese magazine Best Car, the diminutive 2+2 has finally been given the green light for showrooms more than a decade after it was shown as a relatively realistic-looking concept, as Toyota seeks to capitalise on strong sales of its other driver-focused models.

Toyota declined to comment on the report when approached by Autocar, but there are strong clues that a baby Toyota coupé is indeed in the pipeline.

Company chairman (and former CEO) Akio Toyoda has historically spoken of his ambition to revive the spirit of what he calls Toyota's 'Three Brothers' - the MR2, Celica and Supra. With the Supra having been revived in 2019 and the smaller GR86 occupying a similar space in the market to the Celica, the stage looks to be set for a long-awaited MR2 reboot.