Toyota's new sports car takes shape in fresh renders: 2026 Toyota MR2 performance hero could be a potent hybrid GR Corolla mash-up

Fresh renders from BestCar Japan have given a preview of how Toyota’s ground-breaking new two-door coupe could take shape.

According to the publication, which has close ties to Toyota sources in Japan, the Toyota MR2 will look – and drive – unlike any Toyota we’ve ever seen before.

It is speculated as a mid-engine four-wheel drive sports car. It will carry Toyota’s new 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo engine, which the brand announced at its multi-pathway conference in May with alliance partners Subaru and Mazda.

Output figures for the 2.0-litre hybrid set-up are believed to be around the 292kW/550Nm mark, putting it considerably higher than the current GR Corolla’s 221kW/370Nm.

Power is rumoured to be transmitted through a six-speed manual gearbox or an eight-speed direct automatic transmission, as is available in the GR Yaris.

The new breed of engines – which also includes a 1.5-litre version – will be 10 per cent shorter and lighter than Toyota’s current crop of GR engines and be better suited to hybrid power.

BestCar is also reporting that it will be built in accordance with strict new Euro 7 emission standards, projected to come into effect in 2026.

As such, the new engines will reportedly have capacity to run on a variety of fuels such as e-fuel (synthetic fuel), biofuel and liquid hydrogen, allowing the cars to run beyond a ban on internal combustion vehicles.

This would align with comments from Toyota’s boss, Koji Sato, who said in a Toyota Times promotional video that the company wants to bring its new engines into the carbon-neutral era.

“We want to refine Toyota’s new inline four-cylinder engines and develop them into powertrains to create diverse cars in this carbon-neutrality era,” said Sato.

The MR2 will purportedly be produced in a limited run for release in 2026, with pricing in Japan expected to start at around ¥10 million ($101,149).

Speculation on a new class of Toyota sports car has been rife since it unveiled its new crop of engines back in May, with the MR2 not the only reinstated badge to receive speculation.

Toyota is also reportedly working on a brand-new Celica, a GR Starlet and an all-new kei-car-sized S-FR.