Toyota Ponders a Return of the MR2 Sports Car

Toyota Motor Corp. is discussing plans to revive its mid-engine MR2 sports car—perhaps as an electric vehicle—in about 2025.

Matt Harrison, who heads Toyota marketing in Europe, tells Autocar that Toyota President Akio Toyoda favors a revival for the original MR2 (2005 model pictured), which debuted in 1984 and went out of production in 2007, to join new versions of the brand’s Supra and GT86 sport coupes.

The British enthusiast magazine says Toyota hinted at the strategy when it unveiled the S-FR concept in 2015. Autocar notes that the company could partner with another carmaker to develop a shared platform for the car, develop its own hybrid chassis or opt for an all-electric design.

The magazine opines that an EV would be Toyota’s most cost-effective option because of its simpler powertrain that also offers favorable weight distribution and sporty driving dynamics. The car could be built on Toyota’s flexible New Global Architecture chassis, which would enable the drive motor to be positioned behind the car’s two seats as was the case in the original MR2, Autocar speculates.