Toyota mini MR sports car coming in 2025?

Levi

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I’ve heard three rumors now about the MR2. Rumor 1 was that it was going to be all electric. Rumor two was that it was going to use a 1.0 3 cylinder from Daihatsu. Rumor three, the latest from Best Car, says it will have the G16 without electrification.

That’s assuming the mini MR and MR2 are the same thing.
In the video the car makes electric sound. And no rev counter on dash screen.
 

ssun30

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This thing has 295 rear tyre. So it's safe to say it's not going to be a MR2 successor.
 

pacman1

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Exciting times. For awhile it just felt like SUV after SUV. Glad there is a genuine effort by the companies at this show to bring back exciting cars
 

Levi

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So it is a BEV. What is particular is that is has no Toyota or Lexus badge, but a stand-alone GR badge, ala XM and AMG GT.

It also looks quite production ready, minus the concept details. If it is light, it will be the right car. I really like it.
 

ssun30

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So BestCar condensed all the new sports car rumors into the following to avoid confusions:

"Casual" class, HEV with 1.5L turbo engine (2nd time they mentioned this engine being developed, maybe this is a simplified G16 similar to the Super Taikyu G14?) and BEV. Both RWD.

"High-end" class, A100 Supra FR with 3.0L Inline-6, possibly HEV. Later a BEV with AWD.

The two HEVs will come in 2025 and BEVs in 2026. After that is the 2028 LFA II.

I think this list of rumors match very well with Akio's comment that he wanted all four classic Toyota sports cars (MR2, 86, Celica, Supra) to be developed.
 
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NomadDan

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The I6 is very intriguing. I would love for that to be an in-house engine, but maybe it’ll be sourced from BMW or Mazda.
 
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So BestCar condensed all the new sports car rumors into the following to avoid confusions:

"Casual" class, HEV with 1.5L turbo engine (2nd time they mentioned this engine being developed, maybe this is a simplified G16 similar to the Super Taikyu G14?) and BEV. Both RWD.
The GR86 is heavily rumored to be this car.
"High-end" class, A100 Supra FR with 3.0L Inline-6, possibly HEV. Later a BEV with AWD.
BEV GR Supra is dead. They wanted a 500 horsepower EV with 500-600 km range and they couldn't do all that in a light package. The A100 is a hybrid that will share a chassis with the Lexus LFA (not going to use the LFR term anymore because it's apparent that the LFA nameplate is making a comeback).
The two HEVs will come in 2025 and BEVs in 2026. After that is the 2028 LFA II.
The second generation LFA is NOT that far out. Subtract ~2-3 years and you're in the right ballpark.
I think this list of rumors match very well with Akio's comment that he wanted all four classic Toyota sports cars (MR2, 86, Celica, Supra) to be developed.
And with the GR Corolla/GR Yaris that makes it 6 GR cars. :)
 

supra93

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Some designs that didn't make the cut.

FTSe-Sketch-7-1536x862.jpg

FTSe-Sketch-6-scaled.jpg

FTSe-Sketch-4-scaled.jpg

FTSe-Sketch-5-scaled.jpg
 
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that first silver one actually looks so good.

Give it that rectangular grille that GR cars have in the middle and it looks perfect.
 

Gor134

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According to BestCar, MR2 development has begun on a mid-engine platform using the G16e. Apparently it is conceived from an aborted mid-engine GRMN Yaris prototype, that wasn't approved for production.
 

qtb007

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According to BestCar, MR2 development has begun on a mid-engine platform using the G16e. Apparently it is conceived from an aborted mid-engine GRMN Yaris prototype, that wasn't approved for production.
I hope it happens. Hybridize it with the 8AT that is in development and use a small electric motor to drive the front wheels. Could be an absolute riot and be relatively fuel efficient.

I can't overstate how good the G16E is. So, so, so good.
 

ssun30

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It's a JDM exclusive limited production. No hybrid. 1300kg and 320ps for ¥10M doesn't sound exciting to me. That's about the same price as 718 Cayman S in Japan. The speculated size is HUGE compared to the previous generations of MR2 (actually bigger than the Supra).

Meanwhile for the global market we can get a new 86 with the same engine but more powerful thanks to hybridization at half the price.
 

NomadDan

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Personally, I think Toyotas sport car lineup should be as follows:

86: new 1.5T engine as base motor with G16 as optional in GR version. No hybrid and rear drive only. This would be Toyotas entry level car.
MR2: G16 and rear drive only. No hybrid. Keep it as light as possible. Focus on making it a great track car.
Celica: new 1.5T hybrid standard. AWD with direct 4 optional. High performance “All Trac” version with G16 and AWD.
Supra: Inline 6. Rear drive and no hyrbid. Manual option.
Lexus SC Inline 6 hybrid with AWD.
 

NomadDan

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If this really comes not sure how anyone can hate Toyota….
I really like what I see so far. If I weren’t such a fatso, I’d consider one as a DD. Once again, I think Toyota has a winner.

The only thing that could be a real bummer is the rumored 60k+ price tag. This car shouldn’t be more than 45k imo.
 

Sulu

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I really like what I see so far. If I weren’t such a fatso, I’d consider one as a DD. Once again, I think Toyota has a winner.

The only thing that could be a real bummer is the rumored 60k+ price tag. This car shouldn’t be more than 45k imo.
I was thinking the same thing. When I no longer need the staid family sedan, this could be a good choice as a daily driver; give it a small engine and hybrid powertrain and it would be great!. But then I see that it will be a limited-production (read expensive) car.

Darn!