Next-gen Toyota GR 86 may be fast-tracked and hybridised

The second-generation 2023 Toyota GR 86 isn’t even a year old yet, but the compact rear-drive sports coupe could be retired and replaced by a third-generation successor as soon as 2025, according to a new report out of the UK.

British publication Autocar reckons the popular two-door sports car, which was launched in Australia in September 2022, could fall foul of upcoming fuel consumption and emissions standards in Japan as well as windscreen compatibility with future European safety systems.

Both factors could combine to fast-track an all-new GR 86 powered by a hybridised version of the punchy turbo-triple from the GR Yaris and GR Corolla, as Japanese reports predicted in November 2022, yielding higher outputs and lower fuel consumption for the third-generation coupe.

Toyota is yet to confirm it’s working on an electrified version of the 1.6-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, which produces 200kW/370Nm in the GR Yaris and 221kW/400Nm in the GR Corolla, but concedes it’s not a bad idea and that the brand has the nous to get such a job done.

“Hybrid systems are always a good solution for environmental cars, not just for passenger cars but for sporty cars as well,” Toyota chief technology officer Hiroki Nakajima told Autocar at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed.

“We can build them at a lower price than battery-electric models, and we know how to make them fun to drive.”

The sooner than expected move away from a naturally-aspirated four-cylinder boxer engine to a downsized turbo-triple could solve the oil starvation issues being experienced by the current GR 86 and its Subaru BRZ sister model when driven hard on track.

Both Japanese brands have long said a factory turbo option would corrupt the 86/BRZ’s immensely low centre of gravity, which is a cornerstone in their impressive dynamics and driver involvement.

A completely new and electrified engine configuration would likely require a new or at least modified platform, while upcoming European safety regulations – reportedly including traffic light recognition cameras – could require a new body.

The idea of a hybrid 86 has been thrown around for more than a decade now and although GR models are excluded from its promise to electrify all of its models by 2030, Toyota has made no secret of the fact it’s working on at least one battery-electric sports/performance model.

Nakajima let slip that a battery-electric Supra is on the wish-list of future EVs, but remains dependent on engineers developing 100mm tall battery packs compared to the current 150mm unit used in the upcoming Toyota bZ4X electric SUV.

Join the conversation at 

our Facebook page

Or email us at 

editor@carsales.com.au