Toyota appears to have confirmed a reborn MR2 performance car will launch before 2030, with the svelte orange vehicle parked at the back of a major Toyota EV announcement pointing to the brand's "three brothers" strategy finally taking off.
Toyota hasn't confirmed what the model will be called, but has promised plenty of driver fun, assuring that Toyota's Master Driver, and boss, Akio Toyoda, will be happy with the results.
The announcement came as something of a surprise as Toyota outlined its vision for a not-too-distant future that will be filled with EVs. And among the familiar body shapes lurked the new performance car, which looks a lot like renders of the MR2 we've seen to date.
It also adds weight to Japanese reports the new model will be built in partnership with Lotus - a brand that has made its electric intentions clear.
Lotus has made no bones about its shift to being an all-electric company by the end of this decade, with the Evija to be the first of an entirely new, and entirely electric, range.
The move would see the completion of Toyota's "three brother" strategy, which has been touted since 2018 and promises three dedicated performance models in the GR line-up, joining the GR Supra and the GR86.
The best part? The vehicle could be mere "years away", with Mr Toyota promising that this is "not a dreamy future, it’s a reachable one, and it’s just around the corner".
Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold.
But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul.
And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard.
When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House.
But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others.
More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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