toyota_mr2_future

Introduced in 1984, the Toyota MR2 has been a real success for the Japanese carmaker and many car enthusiasts loved the small sports car. However, Toyota decided to cut down its selection of sports cars and replace them with less aggressive “sports packages”, which meant the MR2 production ended in 2007.

But now there’s some great news coming from AutoExpress who have spoken with Toyota’s executive VP, Masatami Takimoto at the Geneva Motor Show and found out that the company is currently working on a small hybrid sports car, which will wear the MR2 name tag and which will rival the upcoming Honda CR-Z: “We are aware of the fondness with which the MR2 is held in the UK and Europe, and are developing a small hybrid sports car. We have set a tough price point (expected to be around ￡20,000), as it will be easier to sell if it is affordable. It has to be fun to drive, too, which means the hybrid set-up must be different to the Prius’s, with greater responsiveness.”

AutoExpress also mentions that the new MR2 will have a compact coupe shape and, if developed properly, could sprint from 0 to 60 mph in around seven seconds and could return 60 mpg and less than 100 g/km CO2 emissions. Toyota didn’t say anything about when can we expect to see at least a concept of this car, but we don’t think this car is a priority, the company focusing now on family hybrids, a lot of launches being scheduled for the next 12 months.

Read More: "Toyota considers bringing back the MR2 to rival Honda’s upcoming CR-Z