- Toyota renewed trademarks on the MR2 name in multiple countries over the last half of 2025
- The launch of a GR performance sub-brand could mean the beloved 2-seater may make a return
Toyota may be planning to bring back a cult favorite sports car.
Car and Driver reports that Toyota has registered trademarks for variations on the name MR2 in the U.S., Australia, and Japan.
The MR2, in case you don’t remember, was an affordable small mid-engine sports car built in three generations from 1984 to 2007. It began life as a subcompact sports coupe and ended it as a convertible.
We should note that a patent or trademark application doesn’t always mean an automaker is pursuing a project. Automakers patent ideas and never use them all the time, from Ford’s self-repossessing car to Tesla’s windshield-cleaning lasers.
But we believe in the MR2 revival because it fits with a new project at Toyota. The company plans to launch a high-performance sub-brand called GR. It may get its own space set aside at Toyota or Lexus dealerships.
Last week, Toyota unveiled its flagship product – a twin-turbo V8-powered supercar called the GR GT, which may go on sale in 2027.
The GR GT is likely to be a low-volume product with a six-figure price tag. Halo cars like that get gawkers in the door of a dealership, where they can spot something more affordable. A new MR2 could be something more affordable that fits the GR brand’s sporty image.
We may even have seen hints of what a reborn MR2 could look like. The company brought an electric concept car called the FT-Se to the 2023 Tokyo auto show that looked like a latter-day MR2. Maybe that’s what it was.
