On Wednesday (January 30th), blog site, Japanese Nostalgic Car, citing an article from publication Best Car due to be released on February 26th, claimed both models are set to be discontinued and not up for replacement in 2021 as claimed in April last year.
A subsequent theory that later emerged also speculated that the four-cylinder Supra might serve as the indirect replacement for the GT86, leaving the door open for the MR2 which, according to a previous report, will be the name of a smaller sports co-developed with Subaru, powered flat-four 1.6-litre turbocharged engine with an electric motor.
Also up in the air is the possibility of the Celica name returning following the filing of a trademark application in 2017, which would result in the return of the so-called three brothers as alluded to by Toyota Gazoo Racing Chief and Supra Head Engineer, Tetsuya Tada, at the Geneva Motor Show two years ago.
In an email to both carscoops.com and motor1.com though, a spokesperson for Toyota North America responded to the claims by stating that, “As Akio Toyoda said at the reveal of the 2020 Supra, Toyota is committed to building exciting vehicles, including sports cars. The 86 has been in the Toyota family since 2013 and the plan is that it will continue to be a part of Toyota’s sports car line-up”.
