Toyota Wants More Than the Supra

As pumped up as everyone was for the new Supra, it seems there could be more to come in terms of performance cars from Toyota. According to Autocar, Toyota’s boss Akio Toyoda said that he would like to see more performance cars in the future. 

“SUVs are nice but, at the end of the day, is there anything better than a tight rear-wheel-drive sports car? I hope this won’t be the last Toyota sports car you see from us in the future,” he told the publication. That’s not a confirmation for any particular model, but it would seem that he wants to see more sports cars. If anyone can make that happen, it’s him. 

Since the Supra made its official debut, there have been rumors of the company reviving the Celica and the MR2. In an interview with Road and Track, Masayuki Kai the Supra’s assistant chief engineer said that he wants to see the Celica and MR2 back in production. That car would likely come through a partnership between Toyota and Subaru, according to Motor1. 

Despite this possible move by the automaker, Motor1 thinks it more likely that Toyota would start with Gazoo Racing variants of its existing lineup. Cars like the Yaris, Corolla, and 86 could receive serious upgrades. This would be a cost-effective way of expanding the lineup.

However, those cars likely wouldn’t be monsters on the road, just more engaging models. The real test will be if Toyota brings back the Celica or MR2. With Toyota’s new TNGA platform, it may be relatively easy for the company to turn out some true performance models, so new sports cars could come sooner than you think.