Is Toyota Really Bringing Back The MR2 In 2025 Or 2026? Here's What You Need To Know
It can be difficult to discern these days between verifiable facts and outright rumors online. That's as true in the realm of automobile news as anywhere else, with outlets and YouTube channels regularly claiming to have exclusive stories about a manufacturer either prepping the latest model of a popular build or resurrecting defunct models with major redesigns.
Chevrolet has been spun through the rumor mill, with reports that it was set to revive the Bel Air, and Ford recently entered the chat with news that it was looking to bring back the infamous Pinto. Toyota is the latest major automaker facing questions about whether a popular past car will soon rejoin its lineup, with reports that the Japanese company is looking to bring back its long-discontinued MR2 sports car.
Toyota debuted the performance-minded, mid-engine MR2 in 1984, and kept it in production for more than two decades, ultimately pulling the plug on the MR2 after the 2007 model year. Almost 20 years later, rumors have sprung up that Toyota is indeed looking to bring the MR2 back into its mid-engine stable, with some sites even showcasing supposed mockups of the radically revamped vehicle. But as of this writing those rumors have not been confirmed by Toyota. Let's take a closer look.
[Featured image by IFCAR via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | Public Domain]
Toyota is remaining quiet about a possible 2026 MR2
Word of the MR2's alleged resurrection originated through the Japanese automotive news outlet Best Car magazine. From there, word of Toyota developing a new MR2 spread quickly through other news outlets and countless YouTube channels, with even Forbes seeming to report the return as a fact. That last would seem to lend a touch of credibility to the claims made by Best Car, but as previously noted, Toyota has not confirmed nor denied the MR2's resurrection, so for now, the rumor will remain just that.
With no official word from Toyota about a new MR2, it stands to reason that any images of the vehicle you might've seen online are not real. Using false or misleading pictures is, of course, nothing new, and as with many of the false images that have made their way online in recent years, it's likelier than not that pics being touted as a revamped Toyota MR2 are the creations of some generative AI program.
As realistic as some of those images undoubtedly seem, it's likely that even if Toyota actually goes ahead with a new MR2, the car won't look much like any of the mockups we've seen. But even we have to admit some of those images have our interests piqued at the possibilities.
[Featured image by GreenGhost74 via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]
A 2026 MR2 might receive some major upgrades, inside and out
As intriguing as it is to think about a Toyota MR2 taking its exterior cues from the likes of Ferrari, looks are but one aspect of the rumors surrounding the vehicle's supposed 2026 revival. In fact, if those rumors turn out to be true, the MR2 redux is set to get its biggest upgrades under the hood. Since a little good-spirited conjecture is harmless, we thought we'd take a glance at what the new MR2 might be packing should Toyota put it into production.
There are actually a pair of engine possibilities being touted in the MR2 rumor mill. The first is that the new MR2 would be powered by the same 1.6-liter turbo-three with which Toyota recently outfitted the Gazoo Racing Yaris and Corolla. As for that engine's output, in those vehicles it's been known to push 300 horsepower, clocking zero to 60 mph at just under five seconds.
That would be impressive enough for a vehicle the size of the MR2, but another rumor claims that Toyota will give it a 2.0-liter turbo that'll push the ponies into muscle-car territory at 394 horsepower. That should be enough to intrigue casual and hardcore sports-car enthusiasts alike, particularly if Toyota manages to couple it with the handling capabilities that MR2s were renowned for. The only question is, obviously, whether Toyota will actually make it.
[Featured image by Vauxford via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]