Photo: Via Response
It's no secret that a good fast mid-engine sports car can get your company a lot of press. Chevrolet just took advantage of that with its Corvette and now Toyota might be trying to do the same with an all-new 400 horsepower MR2.
The report comes from a Japanese website called Spider7. They've broken other info before like Acura working on a hopped-up version of the NSX, and more recent news about Mazda. Now we're hearing something that sounds too good to be true.
According to the report not only is the MR2 going into production, but the project to bring it to market is "ongoing". Now there's no sense in counting our sports cars until they've burned rubber but let's take a look at what the rumors are and why they might be true.
It's clear that the MR2 is near and dear to the heart of many at Toyota. In 2019, Chief Engineer of the MR2, Tetsuya Tada said that he'd be interested in partnering with Porsche to bring it back to life. Then, of course, Assistant Chief Engineer on the Supra project, Masayuki Kai, said "We want to have Celica back, we want to have the MR2 back".
Considering that Toyota has at least in recent months been planning a street-legal Gazoo hypercar and their propensity to partner with other brands to build sports cars, this rumor could have some horsepower.
According to Spyder7, the new MR2 will sport a 395-horsepower engine and it could end up being some sort of hybrid. They also say it will look a lot like the Volta concept from 2004.
That car was dramatically sharp and didn't immediately conjure thoughts of the MR2. Still, just a few styling tweaks here or there could change that. Either way, don't expect the car until at least 2024 "if development progresses smoothly." We certainly hope it does.
According to the report not only is the MR2 going into production, but the project to bring it to market is "ongoing". Now there's no sense in counting our sports cars until they've burned rubber but let's take a look at what the rumors are and why they might be true.
It's clear that the MR2 is near and dear to the heart of many at Toyota. In 2019, Chief Engineer of the MR2, Tetsuya Tada said that he'd be interested in partnering with Porsche to bring it back to life. Then, of course, Assistant Chief Engineer on the Supra project, Masayuki Kai, said "We want to have Celica back, we want to have the MR2 back".
Considering that Toyota has at least in recent months been planning a street-legal Gazoo hypercar and their propensity to partner with other brands to build sports cars, this rumor could have some horsepower.
According to Spyder7, the new MR2 will sport a 395-horsepower engine and it could end up being some sort of hybrid. They also say it will look a lot like the Volta concept from 2004.
That car was dramatically sharp and didn't immediately conjure thoughts of the MR2. Still, just a few styling tweaks here or there could change that. Either way, don't expect the car until at least 2024 "if development progresses smoothly." We certainly hope it does.
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