Did Toyota Just Kill All Hope for the Return of an Iconic Mid-Engine Car?

Ever since Toyota unveiled the FT-Se back in 2023, the rumor mill has been firing on all cylinders about how the concept would be reflected in the automaker’s upcoming sports cars.

With its sleek shape, two-seater configuration and all-electric powertrain, the design initially seemed like a natural next step for the long-discontinued Toyota MR2.

Toyota

Since that time, Toyota has only continued to muddy the waters. In addition to hinting at the revival of yet another iconic sports car in a potential Celica successor, the automaker has also announced the ongoing development of a mid-engine model through the GR Yaris M Concept.

At this stage, Toyota has yet to confirm if a new MR2 is actually on its way. However, due to recent testing difficulties and some previous naming confusion, it’s seeming increasingly unlikely that the model will be making a return anytime soon.

Toyota

Hot hatch hiccups

When Toyota pulled the wraps off the GR Yaris M at the Tokyo Auto Salon earlier this year, it stated that the concept would compete in the Super Taikyu Series as part of a process it coined “driver-first” carmaking.

In practice, this meant that the test mules would be “repeatedly driven to failure and then repaired in the extreme conditions of racing” to gauge real-world performance and get feedback from those behind the wheel.

Toyota

Evidently, things aren’t quite going according to plan. As part of a recent announcement signaling its entry into the ENEOS Super Taikyu Series, Toyota gave an update on the state of the GR Yaris M development. Due to the “difficulties unique to midship-mounted vehicles in terms of braking, steering, and driving,” the GR Yaris M will not be participating at this time.

Now, it’s worth noting that Toyota hasn’t pulled the plug on the program just yet. The automaker also announced that “many challenges have been identified and improvements are ongoing,” so there’s still potential that its mid-engine sports car will eventually come to market.

Toyota

Sports car confusion 

That said, the news doesn’t bode well for the MR2’s return. The development of a mid-mounted sports car was the most promising aspect of the rumors for a potential successor, especially in light of previous confusion over naming conventions.

That’s because, even though there has been an abundance of speculation suggesting that both the MR2 and the Celica are due for a revival, a report from Japanese magazine Best Car indicated that the two Toyota sports cars are, in fact, one and the same. 

After all, it’s not like the automaker has been sitting idle. Between the GR86, the GR Yaris, the GR GT3/Lexus LFA successor and the next-generation Supra, Toyota certainly has its hands full. Considering that the Celica has also been confirmed, the addition of a new MR2 would make for quite the crowded sports car lineup.

Toyota

Celica surety

While Toyota has remained pretty tight-lipped about the potential return of the MR2, it hasn’t shied away from drumming up hype for the Celica.

The automaker initially teased the eighth-generation sports car through its in-house animated series Grip, showing a whiteboard littered with iconic nameplates. Granted, a fourth-generation MR2 also made the list, but Toyota has since extended its trademark for the Celica name and filed a trademark for “GR Celica” to boot.

Toyota

As if that wasn’t enough, at the 2024 Rally Japan event, Toyota vice-president Yuki Nakajima reportedly said that “there are many people within the company who are eagerly awaiting the Celica. So… I wonder if it’s okay to say this in a public forum, but we’re doing the Celica!”

Only time will tell whether the eighth generation arrives as a mid-engine coupe based on the GR Yaris M. As of now, though, all signs suggest that the Celica is the Toyota sports car set to make a return. Even without a concrete timeline, Nakajima’s statement amounts to far more of a confirmation than any hearsay related to the MR2.

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