New Toyota GR sports car could be electric MR2 successor

Radical two-seat concept provides first glimpse of what could become a rival to Lotus's 2026 sports EV

Toyota is developing a small, two-seat electric sports car which could be the first bespoke EV from its Gazoo Racing performance brand. 

Shown alongside 14 other Toyota and Lexus concepts as company president Akio Toyoda revealed half of a planned 30 new EVs from the brands by 2030, the unnamed coupé appears similar in size to Toyota's MR2 sports car, which bowed out in 2007.

In 2018, Autocar reported that Toyota was considering a revival of the MR2 following the launch of the GR Supra, and an electric powertrain was on the cards. 

At that time, sales and marketing boss Matt Harrison said the firm was at the "discussion stage" with plans for a reborn MR2, and confirmed it was an attractive proposition to company bosses.

Toyota president Akio Toyoda is a well-known sports car enthusiast, and has previously spoken of his desire to one day see the 'Three Brothers' – the Supra, Celica and MR2 – revived for the modern era. With the Supra now three years old and the GR86 effectively serving as a Celica equivalent, the focus has likely shifted to the development of a second bespoke GR model.

The first clues to a reborn MR2 were given in 2015 by the diminutive S-FR, which did not evolve into a production model. This latest concept looks to be slightly larger and features much more aggressive styling cues unlike anything seen on a production Toyota so far.

Most intriguingly, its cab-forward silhouette hints at a revival of the MR2's characteristic mid-engined format, which could mean Toyota is planning a similar stacked-battery arrangement to that of Porsche and Lotus's upcoming electric sports cars. 

This would help the sports car to retain some of its spiritual predecessor's trademark dynamic balance, despite the added weight of an EV powertrain. It also would mean the driver can sit as close to the ground as in the MR2, which would not be possible with an under-floor battery pack.

Whether Toyota's e-TNGA EV platform, as used by the bZ4X, could accommodate such a layout is unconfirmed. So far, that platform has only been deployed in four- and front-wheel-drive formats, and Toyota would no doubt opt for a rear-driven layout in an entry-level EV sports car.

Toyota has hinted that its entry-level EVs will prioritise affordability over long range, which - together with the need to keep weight down - means the sports car could be among the first of Toyota's EVs to receive a more energy-dense solid state battery.

Lexus has hinted at a similar plan for a new electric supercar it is readying as a spiritual successor to the V10-engined LFA.