Japanese car
manufacturer Toyota has decided to revive its compact roadster model known as
the MR2. Unless there are complications, the car should debut in 2024 packing a
new, all-electric powertrain.
Toyota CEO Akio
Toyoda had previously said he wanted to relive the company’s triumph in the sports
car segment of the market. Since then, the next-generation Supra has already
arrived, a new GT86 came to replace the outdated Celica, and only one niche
remained vacant. A battery-powered Toyota MR2 roadster should fit right in.
While the car is
most likely going to be all-electric, a hybrid version is by no means out of
the question, either. To that end, the Japanese marque may enlist the help of
third parties, just like it did before with the GT86 (a collaboration with Subaru)
and Supra (BMW).
The original MR2
went out of production in 2007 after three released generations. If its successor
is a BEV, then it would primarily have to compete against the Mazda Miata and
the Porsche Boxster/Cayman for customer attention. At U.S. $45,000 starting
price, though, rumors suggest it will be decidedly cheaper than the
competition.