Toyota is considering resurrecting the MR2, report says
With Toyota's newly reinvigorated interest in speed, resurrecting the midengined missile of the '80s and '90s seems likelier than ever.
Toyota introduced generations of car enthusiasts to the idea of affordable midengined sports cars with its MR2 and MR-S models, which were built from the 1980s through the early 2000s, and now there are rumors that Mister Two could be coming back.
Autocar reports that Matt Harrison, Toyota's vice president of sales and marketing in Europe, said that the company is at the discussion stage, but that things look favorable for a return of the MR2.
This is big news, especially in light of the company reviving the Supra name, because would mean that Toyota is once again getting serious about bringing performance vehicles back to its lineup, something that arguably started with the introduction of the Toyota 86 née Scion FR-S .
It would seem logical that if the brand does resurrect the MR2 that it would go the same route that it did with both the 86 and the Supra and share engineering costs with another brand -- BMW in the case of the Supra and Subaru with the 86. We'd also not be surprised to see the next MR2 offered as an EV, given Toyota's investments in electric technology of late.
Whether the MR2 comes back as an electric vehicle or in a more familiar form, we'd be glad to see Toyota fill that niche of affordable midengine sports car once again and give the likes of the Boxster and Cayman a run for their money.
