New MR2 from Toyota v Lotus Emira.

[Man.v.Cars]

Could the upcoming MR2 from Toyota kill off any future Emira sales? Looking pretty awesome to me coupled with Toyota reliability and from the GR division.

Thoughts?

 

[harleyujoe]

Sure anything coming out new will dwindle some sales .. You have die hard Toyota customers.
But just like the Corvette it has to many edges and not enough body flow like the Emira body.
I felt that way about the later Evora's and really only liked the S1 body.
But that is what makes the world go around and finding that special car in your eyes.
And I always want a car that every ride you do not pass another one ..Lotus does that for me.

 

[Jinba ittai]

Plus there’s this (posted by someone else on here last year)

We’ll see how it turns out.

 

[Six Speed Stephen]

I'm waiting for this toyota/lexus thing to come out. Looks sick.

 

[netsinah]

All a matter of taste, when it comes to the outer design. Like Man.v.Cars, I don't see these other vehicles having the same "clean/simple/classic/flowing lines" the Emira does, which attracted me to the Emira. Then perhaps it's unlikely any of them will come out with a manual transmission, which is another reason I went to the Emira. Finally, I suspect it will be difficult for them to match the "Lotus raw sport car drive" which is somewhat hard to understand and describe, unless you've experienced it.

That said, it's nice to see auto manufacturers continually coming out with new creations to seduce us "car nuts" and provide a selection to choose from: something for everyone's different wish list.

 

[Aero]

The MR2 wont be more capable than the Supra and it wasnt really a real competitor to the Emira. Might hurt sales if offered somewhat the same experience but rumors are it will be pure EV (hope not) so no real manual.
Been watching new MR2 development as I had a 93 turbo. All of these photos are some non Toyota artist or AI BS anyway.

 

[chirowolf]

The MR2 wont be more capable than the Supra and it wasnt really a real competitor to the Emira. Might hurt sales if offered somewhat the same experience but rumors are it will be pure EV (hope not) so no real manual.
Been watching new MR2 development as I had a 93 turbo. All of these photos are some non Toyota artist or AI BS anyway.

Agreed. The new MR2 will look nothing like the renderings

 

[Nova]

I get the feeling the MR2 will be a smaller car, with 300HP or less, mainly a competitor against the MX5, as the MR2 has traditionally been...

 

[sonor8s]

I do not hate the styling, but I do not love it either. I also fully expect Toyota to equip it with an underwhelming powerplant.

 

[Tomwa]

I do not hate the styling, but I do not love it either. I also fully expect Toyota to equip it with an underwhelming powerplant.

I like this styling, albeit i buy that its a render not an actual car.

Though... car manufacturers should be *smart* and be anonymously publishing renders to see what the reactions are in order to figure out which way to go.

I don't think Toyota of the last 5 years would indicate they will do anything with an underwhelming powerplant. It won't chase after Dodge Hellcats or anything, but if they are getting 300hp out of a 3 Cyl 1.6 liter. If the MR-2 Has a 4 Cyl turbo expecting anything working towards 400 hp does not seem unlikely.

 

[sonor8s]

I like this styling, albeit i buy that its a render not an actual car.

Though... car manufacturers should be *smart* and be anonymously publishing renders to see what the reactions are in order to figure out which way to go.

I don't think Toyota of the last 5 years would indicate they will do anything with an underwhelming powerplant. It won't chase after Dodge Hellcats or anything, but if they are getting 300hp out of a 3 Cyl 1.6 liter. If the MR-2 Has a 4 Cyl turbo expecting anything working towards 400 hp does not seem unlikely.

I hope you are right. We need more affordable/maintainable sports cars.

 

[Man.v.Cars]

I get the feeling the MR2 will be a smaller car, with 300HP or less, mainly a competitor against the MX5, as the MR2 has traditionally been...

I can't see it being a slower companion than the GR Yaris and look at what is being done to that engine.

A Tuner Built a 740-HP Toyota GR Yaris With Stock Internals

Supercar power from a 1.6-liter three-cylinder. We love modern engine and tuning technology.

www.roadandtrack.com

 

[seriously]

I’m an MR2 fan and actually think the new styling is very good. However I too anticipate it will be underpowered and not come in a manual. It will be tunable but not the car for me. May sway some of the Emira AMG buyers.

If it does come close to HP weight ratio of the emira, look close to the concept and have a manual? Well, that’s pretty tasty in a Toyota package. Interior looks good too especially with those recaros and the LCD panel layout. There’s a chance they may go upmarket and compete against the cayman, emira, but history indicates otherwise.

I also agree that the new Lexus sportscar looks awesome and could be an impressive Mercedes AMG competitor.

 

[cyanmauve]

Cool option!

I don’t see it is as the quasi-exotic style sports car the Emira is, but if it’s priced right, it looks like a really neat entry level mid engined car.

It may be surprisingly quick. The FRS/86 is a pretty light weight car, so we know Toyota can build light vehicles. Also, I can see a high-compression small displacement turbo engine with a DCT giving pretty snappy performance.

 

[Ohio Enthusiast]

The FRS/86 is a pretty light weight car, so we know Toyota can build light vehicles.

The FRS/86/BRZ/GR86 are a Subaru, not a Toyota. This is being discussed ad-nauseum in the BRZ/GR86 forums on how the GR Corolla 3 cylinder G16E will end up in the next GR86, neglecting that Toyota doesn't have any lightweight RWD platforms they can use. The smallest is the IS/RC which weighs in at 3,750 lbs at its lightest. Will Toyota really invest in such a bespoke chassis for a lightweight MR2? Or will they cover up the weight with more power, like most other manufacturers?

Don't get me wrong, I would love to see another mid engine offering, and if Toyota sticks to the original recipe of lightweight, lowish power, low budget MR2 I would seriously consider one to replace my BRZ. But I really doubt it would happen.

And as an aside, I drove a friend's GRC and the G16E is a pretty nice little engine. It pulls much better at the top than most other modern small displacement turbocharged engines (that feel like after 4500-5000 RPM there's just no point).

 

[Tomwa]

The suspension design and obvs motor on the FRS/BRZ/86 is Subaru. But that said, I don't think you will see a radically different chassis for the new one aside from the fact that they will need to change things up for the new motor.

It's still going to be a 2 door 2+2 chassis. It might have fewer swappable parts, but it's not going to all of a sudden be a re-skinned IS

The GR Yaris was a whole new chassis, even though it was pieces/parts from other cars. I think if they release the MR2 and the Celica while keeping the 86 (but obvs dropping the Supra). In my mind it shows they have confidence to develop their own cars and engineering they bled away in the boring decades of "You can buy a TRD Camry" when you wanted a Toyota sports car

 

[GrahamClark_60-68]

I'm waiting for this toyota/lexus thing to come out. Looks sick.

View attachment 57963

Sorry, not a fan at all....

 

[cyanmauve]

It’s probably not going to be a featherweight, but my guess is it will be relatively light weight.

I’m not familiar with all of Toyota’s worldwide product lineup, but I don’t know of any massively powerful FWD cars. So it’s either adopt and adapt an existing FWD drivetrain to a relatively light weight chassis, or design something that can handle a lot of power. If it’s the latter, I see that as necessitating a clean sheet design.

 

[GrahamClark_60-68]

Could the upcoming MR2 from Toyota kill off any future Emira sales? Looking pretty awesome to me coupled with Toyota reliability and from the GR division.

Thoughts?

I LOVE this. But not the car itself, and actually not a big fan of the design, but the fact that manufacturers are still pursuing mid-engine internal combustion sports cars at all, and in favor of the previous headlong push towards an all-EV future. Developments like this can only push other manufacturers to continue to up their game. I look forward to seeing how things develop as I watch from the driver's window (or rear view mirror) of my Emira.

 

[Tomwa]

It’s probably not going to be a featherweight, but my guess is it will be relatively light weight.

I’m not familiar with all of Toyota’s worldwide product lineup, but I don’t know of any massively powerful FWD cars. So it’s either adopt and adapt an existing FWD drivetrain to a relatively light weight chassis, or design something that can handle a lot of power. If it’s the latter, I see that as necessitating a clean sheet design.

The GR Corolla/Yaris uses a 1.6 L 3 Cyl Turbo that produces 300 hp. There is already rumbling about what they are going to use for the 86 now that they are pulling away from Subaru for the car. When from hybrid rumors, to now a fairly "honda like" 4cyl turbo engine is in the talks.

Which likely is something they would use in multiple platforms. Some Lexus models likely, possibly shared between the 86 and Celica. Add the .. GR-2 to the list.

Technically they also have the 2.4liter turbo in the new Land Cruiser. But I don't think they'd try to make that engine work.