The complete return of the ‘Three Brothers’ may be imminent.
Japanese carmaker Toyota may be having journos and brand-fans running in circles around the all-new Supra, but it seems that that might not be the only exciting new model in store. As part of the marque’s intent to reintroduce driver involvement & engagement to its models, the iconic MR-2 that died out in mid-2007 could be coming back, in a distinctly-contemporary fashion.
Back in the ‘90s, Toyota was famous for having ‘Three Brothers’ in its model portfolio, comprising of the most driver-involved, two-door models. They were the Supra, the Celica, and the MR2, and any kid who lived through the ‘90s with even the slightest interest in cars will recall these three. With the Supra coming back, the 86 taking the place of the Celica, and Toyota reiterating the importance of driver engagement, it’s not too far a stretch to assume that the MR2 may be considered for a return too. Think of it as a reunion, just like all those ‘90s pop groups are doing now.
Toyota’s European sales & marketing boss Matt Harrison spoke to Autocar at the sidelines of the Paris Motor Show, and while he stopped short of confirming the car for reintroduction, he did say that it was a potential new model that the company looked very favourably upon, and that the company is in the “discussion stage” at present.
Harrison also tellingly used the ‘Three Brothers’ term that Akio Toyoda coined when referring to the three two-door sports cars. Toyoda himself said that the ‘Three Brothers’ were models that he’d like to see make a comeback to showrooms, and with the Supra soon joining the 86 in the lineup, it leaves just the MR2.
The MR2 could take various forms: It could utilise the new TNGA platform, but then it’d be limited to front-wheel drive. It could use a variety of the Supra platform, but that was co-developed with BMW, and it won’t let them retain the mid-engined layout that defines the MR-2. What’s most likely, given the packaging and positioning of the model, Toyota could opt to bring the MR-2 back as a pure-electric vehicle, as that’d perhaps be the most cost-effective option available to them.
By going the EV route, Toyota could easily retool TNGA, negating the need to involve an outside partner. Further, the lack of size needed to package an electric powertrain means that a ‘new MR-2’ wouldn’t be substantially larger than the outgoing car. And lastly, the relative simplicity of it all should drastically-reduce R&D costs and bring the MR-2 back at a palatable price point. This would fall in line nicely with Toyota’s intent to offer “affordable, simple, and fun-to-drive cars” as part of its lineup.
For the best deals on a new Toyota, check out our Showroom.