New Toyota Celica, MR2, Lexus supercar under development

Reborn versions of the mid-engined MR2 and the 4WD Celica, along with a Lexus LFA successor, are being developed by Toyota’s Gazoo Racing performance division.

Published On Feb 26, 2025 04:16:00 PM

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Toyota FT-Se concept, which could preview the new MR2, used for representation only.

Having revived the Toyota Supra and Toyota 86 nameplates, the Japanese brand is now planning three new sports cars, two of which would use iconic badges. Toyota, and its performance division Gazoo Racing, are looking at reviving the legendary Celica and MR2 names, and is preparing a new flagship model that will act as a successor to the Lexus LFA.

Toyota MR2, Celica, Supra called “three brothers” by chairman Akio Toyoda
Celica and MR2 to get 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine
Lexus LFA successor to use an electrified, turbocharged V8 engine

New Toyota MR2 details

MR2 and Celica’s engine expected to produce upwards of 400hp

The Toyota GR Yaris M Concept with its mid-engine layout.

The revival of the Celica and MR2 nameplates, following the GR Supra, fulfils the ambition of Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda to bring back the “three brothers”. Together with the GR Yaris and the GR Supra – reported to arrive in next-generation guise in the coming years – the new models are a part of the brand’s plans to introduce a greater number of sports cars.

The Celica and MR2 are set to be powered by a new 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine. Codenamed G20E, the new engine was revealed at the 2025 Tokyo Auto Salon, with reports suggesting that it would produce over 400hp and 500Nm in the road-going version. In motorsport applications, over 600hp is expected from the G20E engine.

Toyota M Concept could preview the new MR2

The G20E engine at the Tokyo Auto Salon was on display in a heavily modified GR Yaris, which Toyota called the M Concept. Interestingly, the concept had the engine mounted behind the rear seats (making it a mid-engine layout), and retained its four-wheel drive system. Although Toyota states that the M Concept is just a test bed for the new powerplant, given the cost of developing a mid-engine, four-wheel-drive configuration, it is likely to enter production.

Speaking at the Tokyo Auto Salon, Gazoo Racing president, Tomoya Takahashi, said the company would “find a place to introduce it”. The concept is expected to morph into the revived MR2, which was always defined by its mid-engined layout. It is possible that its design will take inspiration from the FT-Se concept, shown at the 2023 Tokyo motor show. While the FT-Se was an electrically powered concept, it had the traditional cab-forward silhouette and short overhangs of a mid-engined sports car. A typical four-year development cycle would point to the new MR2 being ready for production around 2028.

New Toyota Celica details

Celica likely to be revealed before MR2

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Curiously, the reborn Toyota Celica is expected to arrive before the MR2, and while it is expected to use the same G20E engine, the unit will be mounted under the bonnet and it will offer four-wheel drive. Reports from Japanese publication Best Car suggest that the GT-Four suffix may also be used – the homologation special versions of the Celica for the World Rally Championship in the 1980s and 1990s used this suffix.

Our sister publication Autocar UK suggests that the Celica could return to the World Rally Championship (WRC). Last year, the FIA expanded WRC regulations to allow a wider range of bodystyles from 2027: sedans, hatchbacks, SUVs and, crucially, “bespoke” designs.

Lexus LFA successor details

Likely to be revealed by 2026 and called the LFR

The successor to the Lexus LFA was previewed three years ago by the GR GT3 concept, and prototypes have been spotted in road-going and race car form at circuits like Spa-Francorchamps and the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The production version is set to enter the GT3 racing series in 2026, and considering the FIA’s homologation rules – which state that any GT3 racer must share its basic body design with a related road car – the road-going model is likely to be showcased before the race car.

As we had reported last June, the model may be called the LFR and come with a turbocharged V8 engine, developing around 500-600hp in racing form. Some form of electrification has been confirmed as our sister publication’s spy photographers noted prototypes move off silently from a standstill, with the engine firing up only a few metres later.

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