AvarvariiThe long-awaited return of the Toyota MR2 sports car is approaching – with no small thanks to the brand’s motorsport endeavours – and the project is being led straight from the top by firm’s chairman, Akio Toyoda. Toyoda first stated his desire to bring back the group of cars often referred to as the ‘three brothers’, the Supra, Celica and MR2, back in 2019 when production of the fifth generation Supra began. Toyota itself has been teasing the return of an MR2 with its traditional mid-engined layout for a few years now. In January this year Toyoda even gave MR2 fans a red herring by stating he’ll have a mid-engined two-seater ready in time for the Tokyo Auto Salon. It turned out to be a modified Daihatsu pick-up truck. However, a new mid-engined sports car is indeed coming from Toyota and Toyoda is playing a key role in the MR2’s comeback. President of Toyota between 2009 and 2023, he oversaw the launch of the LFA for Lexus, then the relatively affordable Toyota GT86 and GR86 sports cars, plus he helped bring back the Supra name. Under his ‘Morizo’ racing driver pseudonym, Toyoda even flipped a GR Yaris rally car onto its roof during testing. This hands-on approach to development has guided the mid-engined Toyota project to motorsport, something Toyoda is extremely passionate about. If you can't wait for the new Toyota MR2, there are used Toyota GR86 models from £30,000 and Supras from £35,000 on our Buy A Car service... The last mid-engined car from Toyota was the third-generation MR2, which bowed out in 2006. As a result, the development of the new model had to start almost from scratch. However, the new MR2 is benefitting from the GR Yaris hot hatch to a certain extent. Gazoo Racing, Toyota’s motorsport arm, has been running the Concept M - a mid-engined prototype closely related to the GR Yaris - in the Japanese-only Super Taikyu endurance series. At the most recent Super Taikyu meeting at Fuji Speedway with the Concept M on the grid, Akio Toyoda told our sister brand Carwow about the importance of motorsport in Toyota’s performance-focused road cars. “If we don’t challenge [ourselves in motorsport] maybe we don’t fail, but if we challenge then maybe we fail,” said Toyoda, highlighting the benefits of gaining comprehensive data from the uncontrolled environments that racing creates. “If we decided to make such a car in a meeting, it would never exist,” Toyoda added. “We are showing to our employees that you can challenge, you can say anything you want, because we’re doing it, we’re showing in front of everybody.” The Concept M made its debut in the Super Taikyu series in 2025, three months late after difficulties with “braking, steering, and driving”, according to Toyota. However, at Fuji Speedway the Concept M showed promise in qualifying by coming second in its class before completing 473 laps. The new power unit in the Concept M is codenamed G20E and has an output of up to 500bhp in motorsport trim. Toyota says it has a less ambitious aim for the new G20E to be more powerful and more efficient than the current 2.4-litre turbo unit found in the 234bhp Toyota GR86. It will also be 10 per cent smaller than the 2.4-litre, which will no doubt help with packaging inside the tight confines of a mid-engined sports car like the MR2. When the Concept M was revealed at the 2025 Auto Salon, Auto Express spoke to Toyota GR engineering boss Naohiko Saito about the engine,. “This engine represents the beginning of a new development that will come from motorsport before we put it into production,” Saito told us. “We always learn a lot with this way of working.” While the Concept M is rear-wheel drive, Toyota also suggested the production car it will spawn will probably feature all-wheel drive, with Saito adding: “This layout is new for us, but we have found in our initial testing that the combination of an all-wheel-drive mid-ship layout offers the best layout for high-performance driving”. In the new sports car, though, the combustion engine will be mounted in the chassis transversely, as it is in the GR Yaris M Concept. The motor will probably be paired with the eight-speed automatic transmission that was developed specifically by Gazoo Racing for the GR Yaris, and is also found in overseas models such as the GR Corolla and Lexus LBX Morizo RR. We don’t know much more about the forthcoming car’s chassis or its specification, but a mixed-metal construction is likely, combining high-strength steel and aluminium to help keep the weight and costs down. Toyota trademarked the name ‘GR MR2’ in 2025, fueling excitement over a new MR2. The name pointed to the influence from its Gazoo Racing sub-brand and follows on from the GR86 and GR Yaris performance models. There’s also a trademark for ‘GR MR-S’ (the MR2 was known as ‘MR-S’ in the Japanese market). A possible return of a Toyota Celica has also been rumoured, although given the history and make-up of the two models, the MR2 name seems a more likely option for the mid-engined car in development. Toyota has lots of experience with mid-engined models, selling the MR2 over the course of three decades between the mid-eighties and the late 2000s. But despite a close connection to these past icons, we expect the new sports car to feature a significantly more contemporary design, taking its lead from the FT-Se concept. As previewed in our exclusive image, much of the concept’s overall design and proportions will be carried over, based on the combination of a low windscreen, short bonnet and tightly packaged rear. The body itself should retain similar exaggerated forms to the concept, highlighted with strong rear haunches, angular surfacing and bodywork that looks almost shrink-wrapped over the engine and chassis. The switch to an internal-combustion powertrain will have an effect on how the car manages the airflow around the body, but we don’t expect big side intakes will be necessary; instead, the engine will draw in air from the front of the car and underneath. This notion is supported by the GR Yaris M Concept, because it does without any obvious side-mounted air intakes. Around the rear, we also expect similar LED lighting to the concept’s to be carried across, as well as the aggressive rear diffuser and a small ducktail spoiler. As with most GR models, the base car will probably be able to be customised with more aggressive aero components, such as a high-mounted rear wing and aero flicks mounted on the front bumper. The compact cabin will be strictly for two, and offer good visibility because of the low scuttle height – just as in a Lotus or Porsche. The dashboard will also be pared back and very driver-focused, with compact digital interfaces and little in the way of flashy design elements.