Unofficial Toyota MR-E Electric Roadster Wants To Be a Successor to the MR2

The first generation dates back to the mid-1980s when it was launched with different powertrains. It lived until 1989 when the second generation debuted sporting units with larger displacements. Perhaps the best-known model was the third-gen, which came out in 1999.

Marketed as the Toyota MR2 Spyder in the United States, the MR2 Roadster in most of Europe, save for France and Belgium, where it was known as the MR Roadster, and the MR-S in Japan, this small car measured only 3,886 mm (153 in) from bumper to bumper. That made it 167 mm (6.6 in) shorter than the sixth-gen VW Polo. It had a 2,451 mm (96.5 in) long wheelbase and a mid-engine construction, and due to its clever engineering, it was often considered a better alternative to the Mazda MX-5.

Toyota kept the MR2 in production until 2007 when they pulled the plug on it for good. And since then, there have been numerous talks about a possible fourth-gen that might grace the automotive world, although so far, it hasn't materialized. The Japanese automaker fueled those rumors in 2021 with a concept with futuristic looks that many believed previewed a production model, though nearly two years later, it appears that they may have just tested the waters. After all, a new MR2 wouldn't necessarily be a best-seller, as the big bucks are in crossovers and SUVs these days.

However, a possible brand-new Toyota MR2 remains the talk of the town in specific circles these days, and it's been brought forward again, this time with a CGI twist. The renderings shared above in the gallery came via Theottle on YouTube, and they imagine what such a machine might look like. Does the design seem familiar? That's because the digital illustrator used the MG Cyberster as a starting point, giving it different front and rear ends that are a bit more worthy of the Toyota brand.

We still don't know what powers the Cyberster, but it is a zero-emission model believed to sport 310 hp in the base rear-wheel-drive variant and a combined 537 hp in the all-wheel-drive configuration sitting at the top of the range. Naturally, a hypothetical re-bodied version that was unofficially christened the Toyota MR-E by the rendering artist would also feature a battery-electric powertrain. But is there really room in the Japanese company's modern-day lineup for such a vehicle, and should they risk making it? Depending on how many people would buy it, it would either be a successful investment or a total failure. But would you get one?