Toyota has almost confirmed that the MR2 sports car nameplate will return, unveiling a mid-engined GR Yaris which will serve as the testbed for a new performance car engine.
At the Tokyo Auto Salon, representatives from the Toyota Gazoo Racing (GR) division revealed the GR Yaris ‘M Concept’, powered by a new turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine mounted behind the rear seats.
No details are known about the engine as yet, except for its internal codename ‘G20E’ – and no, it’s not from a Mazda.
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Last year Japanese outlet Best Car reported Toyota was developing a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine to power a mid-engined sports car and a front-engined coupe, with the MR2 and Celica nameplates likely to be revived for the respective models.
While Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda – also known by his racing pseudonym Morizo – wasn’t present due to illness, his son Daisuke Toyoda was asked whether the mid-engine layout would find its way into a production vehicle.
“That’s our hope and we can all imagine various things, but there’s no official announcement yet,” said Toyoda-san.
The elder Toyoda-san is expected to race the test mule in the Japanese Super Taikyu Series, where the engine and platform will be honed before likely going into production.
“The team aims to implement “driver-first” carmaking, in which cars are repeatedly driven to failure and then repaired in the extreme conditions of racing and in which feedback from Morizo, professional drivers, and gentleman drivers is thoroughly incorporated,” a Toyota media release said.
Previously rumours from Japan had suggested a new MR2 would use the same turbocharged 1.6-litre three-cylinder engine as in the GR Yaris and GR Corolla.
It appears the G20E features minimal to no electrical or hybrid assistance.
First-gen ‘AW11’ MR2 
Second-generation ‘SW20’ MR2
Reports from Best Car have also suggested the new MR2 could use Toyota’s GR-Four all-wheel drive system, rather than staying true to its rear-wheel drive roots.
The publication claims the base engine will produce 221kW and 400Nm – identical to the GR Corolla’s three-cylinder – while a high-performance version could boost those numbers to 294kW and 550Nm. A racing version has been touted as being able to make 441kW.
In November, Toyota’s GRIP cartoon series referenced several unreleased performance vehicles which included a next-generation MR2 and Celica.
Toyota’s new G20E engine was previewed in May 2024
Akio Toyoda used last year’s Tokyo Auto Salon to throw support behind petrol and diesel engines, amid increasing pressure on Toyota for its delayed rollout of electric vehicles (EVs).
“To all those who have made engines up until now, let’s continue to make engines,” Toyoda-san said a year ago.
“Everyone’s help will continue to be needed. I will never let all the work you’ve all done so far go to waste.”
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