Toyota has made no secret of the fact it wants another sports car in its line-up to complement the Supra and 86, and the latest rumours indicate the brand could turn to an unlikely partnership to bring its vision to life.
Best Car Web is reporting in its latest issue that Toyota will turn to Suzuki to help build its new mid-engine sports car that could be the reborn MR2, not Lotus as was previously reported.
Suzuki might seem like a strange manufacturer to team up with to build a sports car, but the brand specialises in small, lightweight ‘kei’ cars in Japan, and has experience with performance models such as the Swift Sport, as well as the Cappucino and Cara – the latter known more famously as the Autozam AZ-1 built in conjunction with Mazda.
This wouldn’t even be the first time the two have teamed up either, as the Toyota Corolla wagon and RAV4 are badged as the Suzuki Swace and Across respectively in European markets, and Toyota also sells badged-engineered Suzukis in emerging markets like India and South Africa.
With Toyota owning a five per cent stake in Suzuki, the partnership would make sense, and reports indicate the mid-engined model would also be sold as a Daihatsu, who is wholly owned by the big T brand.
But what would be powering the new model that could resurrect the MR2 nameplate? Reports indicate Suzuki will provide the platform and a 1.0-litre engine for the new mid-engined sports car.
Suzuki’s most prominent 1.0-litre engine is found in its Swift and Baleno GLX models, and uses a blower to produce 82kW/160Nm.
Though outputs are nothing to write home about, it is expected the model will retain the featherweight philosophy of Suzuki’s current-generation cars to maximise performance. For example, the base Swift tips the scales at just 905kg.
The reports also point to a 2025 release date, meaning the deal is likely far from done and there is still a lot that could change before the new MR2 enters production.
Toyota’s global boss Akio Toyoda has stated in the past his desire for a ‘three brothers’ approach to the brand’s sports car range, with a mysterious third model slotting in to complete the trinity with the Supra and 86.
Curiously, each of Toyota’s sports car models have been joint ventures with other brands – the Supra with BMW and the 86 with Subaru.
The engines have also come from Toyota’s partners, meaning the rumours of a Suzuki team-up do line up with what Toyota has done in the past, but previous reports have thrown up Lotus and even Porsche as potential partners for the third model.
Either way, it’s still too early to tell if the new-generation ‘MR2’ will be a global model or restricted to Japan and its unique kei class of vehicles in which Suzuki specialises.
Keyword: Toyota's new MR2 mid-engine sports car could be a Suzuki joint venture - reports