Toyota ka mid engine teaser jo 2026 Tokyo Suto Salon ke liye tha, wo bas ek fancy Daihatsu Hijet kei truck nikla. But patience rakhne walo ke liye good news hai, ek new sports car jisme engine seats ke behind hoga, real mein aa raha hai. After lot's of rumors or years of speculation, ab finally official confirmation mil gaya ki kuch MR2 jaisa definitely aa raha hai.
Gazoo Racing ab recently ek separate sub brand ban gaya hai jo sirf performance cars ke liye dedicated hai. Aur ab company ke president kehte hai ki ek mid-engine model bhi aa raha hai. Tomoya Takahashi ne ye news Automotive News ke interview mein share ki, but thoda patience rakhna padega. Unhone explain kiya ki prototype testing to start ho gayi hai, but series production abhi jaldi start nahi hone wali.
Ye jo unnamed model hai, abhi 4 development stages me se first stage me hai, customer cars assembly line tak hit karne se pehle. Takahashi kehte hai ki is project ko production car build karne me 4, ya maybe 5 years lagenge. Matlab simple words me, best case scenario me Toyota, means Gazoo Racing, ye car around 2030 mein launch hogi.
Toyota is developing a powerful four cylinder engine
New mid engine performance car or uska timeline confirm karne ke saath-saath, GR ke president ne engine ko bhi reveal kar diya, G20E. Ye ek brand new engine hai, turbocharged 2.0 liter petrol unit, jo pehle GR Yaris M concept mein test kiya gaya tha. Pehle hi pata chal chuka tha ki engineers isse 400+ horsepower target kar rahe hai. Aur race car form mein, without any restriction ke, ye four cylinder engine 600 hp se bhi above ja sakta hai.
Takahashi ka believe hai ki GR Yaris, GR Corolla or Lexus LBX Morizo RR mein jo 1.6 liter three cylinder engine hai, uske 300 hp mid engine (midship) layout ke liye kaafi nahi hai. Unhone ye clear nahi kiya ki kaunsa model new engine pe aayega, but logically dekha jaaye so new MR2 G20E engine ka strong contender lagta hai.
New engine old 2.4 liter turbo se kaafi zyada powerful hoga, or saath hi iska size bhi small hoga, around 10% smaller footprint or low height. Toyota ka kehna hai ki ye engine 30% tak more efficient hoga, but ye number maybe sirf hybrid version ke liye ho. Takahashi ne confirm kiya hai ki new 2.0 liter engine electrified hoga or front engine steups ke saath bhi compatible rahega.
New MR2 and Celica?
Toyota ne 2007 mein mid-engine cars build karna stop kar diya tha, jab third gen MR2 ka production end hua. Ab agar is layout ko wapas lana hai, then beloved MR2 roadster ke successor mein zyada sense banta hai, instead of forcing it into a hot hatch jaise GR Yaris. GR Yaris ko at present testing ke liye use kiya ja raha hai, but honestly, humein iska production version aata hua nahi lagta.
MR2 aane se pehle hi Toyota ek or sports car launch kar sakta hai. Cooper Ericksen, jo North America ke VP of product planning hai, unke according Celica ke test mules already road par chal rahe hai. Front engine model ka development kaafi advanced stage mein hai, or dealers ko prototypes or design sketches bhi show kar diye gaye hai. But public ne abhi tak kuch bhi dekha, isliye 2028 se pehle iska proper production debut hona thoda unlikely lagta hai.
Conclusion
Yes, finally confirm ho gaya hai ki Toyota ek new mid engine car build kar raha hai. Thoda zyada time lag raha hai jitna hum chahte the, but at least project abhi exists karta hai.
Aur interesting part ye hai ki G20E engine sirf isi car ke liye nahi ho sakta. Takahashi ke according, isse bigger vehicles or all wheel drive setup ke liye develop kiya ja raha hai, then future mein or exciting models dekhne ko mil skate hai.
Agar Toyota apne promises deliver karta hai, then next few years mein Gazoo Rcing lineup bilkul exciting ho sakta hai. Abhi jo GR Yaris , GR Corolla, GR86 or GR GT hai, other than this enthusiasts ko GR Celica or GR MR2 bhi dekhne ko mil sakte hai. Or furthermore, Toyota ne ye bhi hint diya hai ki GR Supra ek din zaroor comeback karegi.
Itne saare low volume sports cars ek saath sell ho bhi paayenge ya nahi, ye toh time hi batayega, but Toyota clearly affordable performance ko alive rakhne ke mood mein lag rahi hai.