As more and more automakers turn to completely electric lineups and reveal save-the-planet initiatives, the car community has been clinging to any little information they can get about the survival of combustion engines. The focus is currently on Toyota, which has been teasing a mid-engine sports car for a while now.
Back in December 2025, we noticed that Toyota had filed a trademark for “GR MR2.” This would align with Toyota’s other performance cars in the Gazoo Racing lineup: the GR Yaris, GR Corolla, GR86, and GR Supra. At this point, Japanese publication Best Car predicted this would be a mid-engine, all-wheel-drive sports car with a G20E 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 500 horsepower. All of that from a name? It’s not the previously predicted GR Celica, but it gave the car community hope just the same.
Then, in January, many believed we’d get our first glance at the GR MR2 at the Tokyo Auto Salon. Toyota’s CEO, Akio Toyoda, even hinted that he was hoping to bring a mid-engine two-seater to the Salon if it was ready in time. However, it apparently wasn’t ready, as the vehicle Toyota revealed on January 9th was a kei truck.
At this point, car enthusiasts wondered if the mid-engine sports car was just a fever dream. In a sandy desert full of electric SUVs, was the GR MR2 just a shimmering, far-off mirage, taunting us as we desperately crawled towards it? However, Automotive News had to get answers.
Talking with Gazoo Racing President Tomoya Takahashi, Automotive News confirmed that Toyota is working on a mid-engine sports car. There’s even a prototype. However, production is a lot further than the car community previously predicted. Engineers are in the first stages of a process that will take four to five years before the car can be mass-produced. It looks like Best Car could be right after all: It may be 2028 before we see the GR MR2.
Toyota’s new engine is exactly what the automotive industry needs right now
The key to keeping the mid-engine sports car dream alive is Toyota’s upcoming 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter turbo engines, which would pair well with Toyota’s future hybrid plans. The 2.0-liter turbo engine, in particular, would be perfect for a mid-engine sports car — as shown off at the Tokyo Auto Salon in the GR Yaris M concept after years of discussion.
The 2.0-liter turbo engine could very well save the combustion engine from extinction. Its smaller size — 10 percent smaller in volume and height than Toyota’s current 2.4-liter turbo — allows it to meet ever-tightening emissions standards while also fitting in smaller vehicles, like a sports car with a more modern, EV-inspired appearance. It delivers higher power while remaining more fuel-efficient than the 2.4-liter turbo thanks to its aerodynamic design, such as shorter piston strokes.
“We won’t have to give up performance while meeting future regulations,” Toyota Chief Technology Officer Hiroki Nakajima said in 2024. “These engines are better than any engine in the past. I think we are ready to fly now.”
With the 2.0-liter turbo engine in the works, car enthusiasts are even more excited about the possibility of the MR2’s return. The retro-styled, supercar-inspired MR2 was known for outperforming more expensive cars due to its insane balance and handling (thanks to the mid-engine layout). It was known for its snap-oversteer when taking corners aggressively, which made drivers proud to master.
The first generation MR2 (1984 to 1989) often had a 1.6L 4A-GE engine that produced 128 hp. The second generation (1989 to 1999) switched to a 2.0L 3S-GE that had up to 165 hp. The third generation (2000 to 2007) had a lighter 1.8L 1ZZ-FED engine that went down to 138 hp. The idea of an MR2 with Toyota’s new 2.0-liter turbo engine (rumored to have around 500 hp) has definitely excited drivers who want to see the iconic car return with just as much style and handling — but more power.
Toyota has not confirmed that the mid-engine sports car is the MR2, but I think we’ll take the engine in just about anything at this point. The rampant growth of electric SUVs (which could be slowed down by recent EPA repeals) has the car community desperate for something fun. Something loud. Something with spirit. Not even super-rich people want an electric Lamborghini. Drivers want to feel connected to their car. They want to feel its power. They want to feel free, as if they are escaping the everyday drudgery. An EV can’t really do that. But a mid-engine GR MR2 could.
