Toyota Drops Hints at Next-Generation Celica, MR2, Supra, and GR86 Sports Cars
Sports coupes, sports cars, oh my—all from Toyota, of all places.
Toyota's tag line these days is "going places," but it seems the only place the Japanese automaker really wants to go is in a sportier direction. (Aside from, of course, a truckier one, too, what with the recently updated Tacoma pickup, Land Cruiser, and new 4Runner SUV.) Point is, Toyota is on a fun streak, and one that looks to be getting more fun in the coming years.
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Following rumors that we could see a Toyota MR2 sports car revival, a third-generation GR86 sports car, and possibly even a resurrected Celica sports coupe, Toyota itself has fanned the flames by hinting at all three in one of its promotional GRIP anime series episodes on YouTube. Here's the video in question:
See if you can spot it on the whiteboard at the 0:47 mark in the video above. Beneath a sketch of a fourth-generation Celica is a list that reads:
- Supra Mk6
- Celica Mk8
- MR2 Mk4
- GR86 Mk3
- GR GT3
Taking this from the top, the current-generation Supra is the nameplate's fifth, making the "Mk6" listed above the would-be next-generation model to follow this one. Same goes for the "Mk8" Celica; the last Celica sold before that model was effectively replaced by a combination of the Scion tC coupe and, later, the FR-S that would become the Toyota 86/GR86 when the Scion brand was shuttered, was the seventh-generation Celica. And on and on down, with the last MR2 sports car being the third-gen model, and today's GR86 being the second-gen (Mk2), while the GR GT3 is something well underway, a proper racer from the GR brand that could spawn a Lexus variant.
It's been rumored that the MR2 will return as an EV sports car, while the GR86 could get a new generation that breaks with Subaru's BRZ, meaning Toyota would develop it all on its own. That also would mean Toyota could be free to drop Subie's flat-four engine—and possibly throw in the GR Corolla's turbocharged three-cylinder engine, as previewed on the GR86 Rally Legacy concept headed to SEMA this week.
A new GR Supra would be interesting, not least because the fifth-gen car debuted decades after the fourth-gen model faded away in the late 1990s; if a sixth-gen Supra appeared even in the next few years, it'd mark the Supra's return as a regular member of the Toyota lineup. Whether it'd continue to be built alongside the mechanically related BMW Z4 is up for debate—BMW could lose interest in a low-volume roadster, for example, leaving Toyota without an inline-six engine to power a would-be sixth-generation Supra with, as well as a manufacturing partner (both the Supra and Z4 are built by Magna in Germany). But, hey, we're not complaining here; we'd love to see all of these models come to fruition, not least because they'd keep affordable performance cars alive and well.
Of course, this is all pure speculation, at least on Toyota's intent with the listed vehicles in the GRIP anime episode. Maybe it just wanted to fill space on a whiteboard in a scene, or, maybe, it's dropping tantalizing hints to its fans. Either way, let's hope Toyota is actually working on these models, because it'd make the brand one of the sportiest mainstream players around...
A lifelong car enthusiast, I stumbled into this line of work essentially by accident after discovering a job posting for an intern position at Car and Driver while at college. My start may have been a compelling alternative to working in a University of Michigan dining hall, but a decade and a half later, here I am reviewing cars; judging our Car, Truck, and Performance Vehicle of the Year contests; and shaping MotorTrend’s daily coverage of the automotive industry.
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