Japanese automaker Toyota has announced it is developing a new mid-engine sports car, a notable move reflecting the company’s direction towards strengthening its presence in the high-performance sports car world.
The announcement came from officials of Gazoo Racing, Toyota’s specialized sports car division, who confirmed that the project is still in its early stages and that the new car may need 4 or 5 years before it reaches the market.
The officials explained that the anticipated car aims to offer a different driving experience, combining high performance with driving pleasure, while maintaining Toyota’s identity known for reliability and advanced technology.
According to available information, the new car will be based on a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder gasoline engine, an engine Toyota is currently developing within its racing programs.
This engine has been tested in a prototype named the GR Yaris M Concept, where the engine was placed directly behind the driver, in a layout typically used in advanced sports cars.
Estimates indicate the engine is capable of generating over 400 horsepower, with the possibility of developing even more powerful versions dedicated to racing. The car is also undergoing real-world testing on race tracks in Japan, within local championships, aiming to improve performance and ensure readiness before moving to the production stage.
Toyota has not yet revealed the name of the new car, but observers suggest this move could pave the way for the return of the famous MR2 model, production of which was halted years ago and was known for its sports design and mid-engine layout.
This step comes at a time when Toyota is seeking to balance its shift towards electric vehicles with maintaining traditional sports cars that rely on internal combustion engines, in response to the interest of a wide segment of driving enthusiasts.
Finland
Finland is a Nordic country in Northern Europe with a cultural history shaped by centuries of Swedish and Russian rule before declaring independence in 1917. It is known for its vast forests, thousands of lakes, design aesthetics, and sauna traditions. The country also maintains a distinct cultural identity through its Uralic Finnish language and epic poetry like the Kalevala.
Kalle Rovanpera
Kalle Rovanperä is a Finnish rally driver who made history in 2022 by becoming the youngest-ever World Rally Champion at the age of 22. He is the son of former rally driver Harri Rovanperä and began his competitive career in the sport at a very young age.
Jonne Halttunen
Jonne Halttunen is a Finnish rally co-driver, best known for his successful partnership with driver Ott Tänak. Together, they won the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) drivers’ and co-drivers’ titles in 2019 while competing for the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT team. His career highlights include multiple rally victories at the sport’s highest level, contributing significantly to his team’s achievements.
Toyota GR Yaris Rally 1
The Toyota GR Yaris Rally 1 is a competition car developed for the top category of the World Rally Championship (WRC), first introduced for the 2022 season. It is the successor to the dominant Toyota Yaris WRC and was built to new, more restrictive technical regulations aimed at reducing costs and promoting hybrid power. The car features a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine paired with a standard hybrid unit, continuing Toyota Gazoo Racing’s successful rally lineage.
WRC Acropolis Rally
The WRC Acropolis Rally is a round of the FIA World Rally Championship held in Greece, renowned as one of the most demanding and historic events in the series. First held in 1951, it earned its “Acropolis” nickname due to the rugged, rocky mountain terrain that traditionally characterized its stages, testing both car durability and driver skill.
Elateia
Elateia is an ancient city in central Greece, historically significant as a strategic military and commercial hub during the Classical and Hellenistic periods. It is notably mentioned by ancient historians like Thucydides and Pausanias, and its location controlled vital routes, including the passage to southern Greece. Today, the site contains archaeological remains, including a well-preserved Doric temple from the 4th century BCE.
Athens
Athens is the capital of Greece and one of the world’s oldest cities, with a recorded history spanning over 3,400 years. It was the heart of ancient Greek civilization and a powerful city-state, becoming the birthplace of democracy, philosophy, and the dramatic arts in the 5th century BC. The city’s most iconic landmark, the Acropolis with its Parthenon temple, stands as a enduring symbol of this classical heritage.
Greece
Greece is a southeastern European country renowned as the cradle of Western civilization, being the birthplace of democracy, philosophy, and the Olympic Games. Its history spans ancient city-states like Athens and Sparta, a period of classical flourishing, and subsequent rule by the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires before regaining independence in the 19th century. The country is globally celebrated for its profound historical influence, thousands of islands, and iconic archaeological sites such as the Acropolis in Athens.
Toyota
Toyota is a Japanese city in Aichi Prefecture, best known as the global headquarters of the Toyota Motor Corporation. The city, originally named Koromo, grew from a historic silk production center into a major industrial hub after the automaker was founded there in the 1930s and subsequently changed its name to Toyota in 1959.
Gazoo Racing
Gazoo Racing is Toyota’s in-house motorsport and performance vehicle division, which originated from the company’s involvement in motorsports and was officially established as a brand in 2015. It is responsible for developing high-performance models like the GR Supra and GR Yaris, and it competes in events such as the World Endurance Championship.
GR Yaris M Concept
The GR Yaris M Concept is a high-performance prototype vehicle unveiled by Toyota in 2023, based on the production GR Yaris hot hatch. It serves as a design and engineering study, featuring a more aggressive aerodynamic body kit and enhanced powertrain components, to explore the potential for an even more extreme, track-focused version of the model.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia with a rich cultural history spanning thousands of years, from its ancient Shinto traditions and imperial rule to the feudal samurai era and its rapid modernization following the Meiji Restoration. It is renowned for its unique blend of deep traditional arts, such as tea ceremony and kabuki, with cutting-edge technology and global pop culture influence.
MR2
The MR2 is a line of mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports cars produced by Toyota from 1984 to 2007. The name stands for “Midship Runabout 2-seater,” and it was celebrated for its lightweight design and agile handling. The model evolved through three distinct generations, each with its own engineering philosophy, before being discontinued.
