A report suggests that Toyota's European VP of sales and marketing favors the idea of completing the resurrection of all of the brand's sporty ‘Three Brothers' -- the Supra, Celica coupé, and MR2.
Though it's not set in stone, Autocar noted that Toyota's VP of sales and marketing for Europe, Matt Harrison, would be happy to see the resurrection of the MR2, a statement he made at the Paris Motor Show earlier this month. This would be the final model necessary to accomplish a complete revival of a lineup often referred to as the ‘Three Brothers:' the Supra, Celica coupé, and MR2.
The sporty gang is nearly back together: a 2019 Supra model is expected to be revealed any day now, and the Celica has been reimagined as the GT86; now we're just waiting for the fan-favorite MR2, and things are looking up. The 2015 S-FR concept car was a generous nod to the MR2, and now with the verbal interest from a Toyota executive, the stars are aligning.
Several options exist for such a revival; Autocar suggests that the company could pursue a joint-venture to engineer a petrol hybrid or even go all the way a develop a purely electric -- a relatively natural adaptation of the model.
A battery pack would easily fit into the compact, sporty model right behind the two front seats, a design reminiscent of the original MR2. With the pack placed below the floor, the center of gravity would be lower. In general, it could be advertised as a, "fun, environmentally friendly, short-distance commuter car."
However, since the model is still just in the discussion phase, it would be years -- at least not until 2020 -- before we see an actually model, even if the prototype development were approved today. On the bright side, a revamped, electric MR2 would easily fit into the company's electric vehicle strategy of having at least 10 EV models on the market by early 2020.
Will we see the resurrection of the ‘Three Brothers?' If you're a fan of the sportscar trio, the future is looking bright.
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