New Toyota 86 confirmed for mid-2021
Leaked presentation puts next-gen Toyota GR 86 turbo sports coupe in showrooms next yearDetails from a confidential presentation reveal that Japanese car giant Toyota will indeed launch a replacement for its affordable rear-drive sports car, the Toyota 86, in mid-2021.
And it's almost certain to be offered with a more potent turbocharged boxer engine.
Leaked and posted by the GR86.org forum, an internal presentation to Toyota dealers in the USA confirms the second-generation compact coupe -- to be called the Toyota GR 86 -- will be launched in the (northern) summer of next year.
Subaru sources have confirmed the car's twin, the Subaru BRZ, was originally scheduled to lob in mid-2021 as well, but the havoc that COVID-19 is causing creates many unknowns and could push that date back.
First launched in 2012, the Toyota 86 and its Subaru BRZ twin were officially confirmed for renewal in September 2019 when the brands released a joint statement confirming a strengthening of their alliance.
Given the Toyota 86's popularity in Australia, which ranked in the top three markets for 86 sales globally at one stage, its successor will significantly bolster Toyota's fledgling GR (Gazoo Racing) high-performance sub-brand, which currently consists of just two models -- the GR Supra and upcoming GR Yaris.
The Toyota GR brand will get a fully-sick flagship hypercar as well, based on the Toyota GR Super Sports concept. Simply put, it's a million-dollar road-legal version of the brand's 2021 Le Mans race car.
Several other vehicles are detailed in the leaked presentation, including Toyota's upcoming Yaris-based SUV, plus an all-new crossover and the next-gen Tundra pick-up truck, all of which could join the new 86 on sale in Australia.
The next Toyota GR 86 is tipped to be based on a new rear-drive version of Toyota's latest platform architecture (TNGA), with Subaru to supply the engine.
According to the forum post, the source of the leaked photo claims the next Toyota 86 will be powered by a new 2.4-litre turbocharged boxer engine from Subaru, as we've reported previously.
Toyota and Subaru have always positioned the 86 and BRZ as pure, naturally-aspirated sports cars, but this looks set to change with the adoption of the brawnier turbo-boxer engine.
The new force-fed 2.4-litre engine already does service in the new Subaru Liberty and Outback, only the latter of which is guaranteed to come to Australia by the end of this year, with the former all but certain to be axed from Aussie showrooms.
Generating 194kW of power at 5600rpm and 375Nm of torque at 2000rpm, the beefy new boxer engine would give the new Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ a new lease on life, making the current 2.0-litre non-turbo engine (152kW/212Nm) look wheezy and flaccid in comparison.
It's possible but less likely both models could employ the new 1.8-litre turbo boxer engine confirmed for the next-generation Subaru Levorg sports wagon. Transmission options are still not clear either, but manual and CVT automatic gearboxes are likely.
A hybrid powertrain is also expected, given Toyota's promise to offer an electrified version of every model in its range by 2025.
In any case, the new Toyota GR 86 could cost more than the current model, which currently starts at $31,440. For the record, the Subaru BRZ starts at $35,270.
It's not clear whether the new rear-drive TNGA platform will allow for a convertible version, as previewed by the 2017 Toyota GR HV Sports Concept pictured here.
Stay tuned for more details.
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