Sports car icons to become twins

Toyota and Subaru’s jointly developed 86/GR86 and BRZ twins have been two of the world’s most popular sports cars since launching in 2012, and spanning two generations.

However, with a third-generation Toyota GR86 on the horizon, Japan’s Best Car magazine reports the new sports car won’t be a Subaru twin, and will instead be based on the same platform as Mazda’s fifth-generation MX-5.

The report – which should be taken with a pinch of salt – suggests the two vehicles will be co-developed, though it’s understood the new Mazda MX-5 is further down the path of development.

While the Mazda MX-5 is due to enter a new generation to replace the now 10-year-old ND model, the current Toyota GR86 only launched in 2021 alongside the Subaru BRZ, and neither of the latter models have been facelifted as yet.

Despite this, Best Car claims the MX-5-based GR86 will have greater differences from the Mazda sports car than what the current model does from the BRZ.

Currently the only key difference between the GR86 and BRZ is their bodywork and some interior trim, though the new MX-5 will remain available as a two-seat roadster as opposed to its four-seat (2+2) GR86 twin.

The report also adds the MX-5 and GR86 will use different engines, with Mazda using its own 2.0-litre (despite chief technical officer Ryuichi Umeshita telling US outlet Road & Track it’ll be powered by a 2.5-litre), while Toyota’s car could be powered by a 2.0-litre hybrid.

It’s worth mentioning Best Car’s report is based on “a mixture of information on what we think will appear and what we hope will appear” at the Japan Mobility Show next month, and so far no spy images of a new Toyota GR86 have surfaced.

The prospect of Mazda sharing technology with Toyota wouldn’t be out of the ordinary, though recently it’s been the other way around, with the former’s CX-50 and Mazda 2 hybrids using the latter’s technology.

It’s also worth noting Toyota owns a small 5.1 per cent stake in Mazda, while its ownership of Subaru is at 20 per cent.

The move away from a shared platform with the BRZ would also represent a significant change to Toyota and Subaru’s current arrangement, which includes three additional badge-engineered vehicles: the bZ4X/Solterra, the bZ4X Touring/Trailseeker, and the C-HR+/Uncharted.