When I helped have a FRS/BRZ Roundtable here in Miami a couple of years ago with Tada-San... I just can't see Toyota having 3 sports cars in its lineup.
I can, bearing in mind that each one would involve a collaboration with another carmaker. Here are my thoughts:
MR2
This is the iffiest of the trio, but not totally out of the question. Don't, however, expect a rear-mid-engined sports car like the previous 3 generations. With Toyota now owning a 5% stake in Mazda, and the two broadening their alliance and joint projects, it isn't much of a stretch to picture a production version of the S-FR sports coupe sitting on the latest ND Mazda MX-5 Miata platform. Said platform is
front-mid-engined (yes, every bit of the engine sits behind the front axle line, unlike pseudo-front-mid-engine architectures such as Nissan FM or Toyota/Lexus GA-L), so the MR2 badge would be justified.
Arguments against this scenario? For one, Toyota hasn't (as of this writing) renewed the MR2 trademark. Also, I was at that "FRS/BRZ Roundtable here in Miami a couple of years ago with Tada-San" and, even then, the "S-FR as Miata derivative" rumors were around. I asked him about that, but he denied any connection between the two, and at least one other published report echoed the denial Tada-san told me face-to-face. In fact, some published reports have suggested that the production S-FR project is dead.
Then again, the original 86/FR-S/BRZ was such an on-again/off-again project subject to numerous false rumors and off-base renderings (not to mention conflicting reports of how similar or dissimilar the Toyota and Subaru versions would turn out to be). My point? I wouldn't rule out a production S-FR/MR2 yet. There are still 5 unrevealed Toyota debuts for the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show. Whether or not one of those 5 is a new S-FR or MR2 concept will be telling...
Celica
Toyota just renewed this trademark. My suspicion (or personal hope?): that this badge will be applied to the second generation of the joint Toyota/Subaru "middle" sports car. Though some feared that this would be a one-generation wonder, numerous reports suggest that there
will be a second generation, and not a denial in sight. I always felt that Celica was the most appropriate badge for this, even ahead of the original's launch, and here's hoping it happens for its successor.
Supra
Obviously, Toyota's top-of-the-line sports car, a fraternal twin to BMW's 3rd-gen Z4 roadster. My fear here is that too much BMWness in the mechanicals would mean that Toyota's vaunted reputation for bulletproof reliability would take a hit.
Ultimately, though, the Supra test mules I've seen look closer than expected in size to the current 86. And a production S-FR/MR2 couldn't be too much smaller than the 86. Maybe it is overkill to make such a trio of closely-spaced/sized sports cars in a crossover SUV-mad world.
