TOKYO MOTOR SHOW: Toyota Oz wants baby bro for 86

Toyota is on the cusp of pushing the 'go' button for its third – and potentially most popular – rear-drive sports car of the modern era.

It would be the final member of the Japanese brand's sports car troika after the popular Toyota 86 and upcoming Supra and the company's Australian subsidiary is super keen to bring the Mazda MX-5-sized vehicle here.

Previewed by the bright yellow Toyota S-FR concept, which made its global premiere at this week's Tokyo motor show, the new model will slot underneath the 86 and deliver similar driving dynamics via its rear-drive, front-engine layout.

In other words, it may not be fast, but it will be fun.

The man in charge of the 86, Supra and this compact coupe project, Toyota's chief sports car engineer Tetsuya Tada, explained to carsales how it would sit in the three-pronged sports car range.

"Our Toyota sports car goal must be three brothers. The 86 is the middle, and some top-level sports car like the Supra," he said.

So the S-FR would sit below the 86, then?

"Yeah," responded the genial Japanese engineer during a round table interview in Tokyo, before confirming three different engine types could power the S-FR.

Although he didn't outright confirm the new model for showrooms, arguing there were "many difficulties to get to production", Tada-san said Toyota was looking at either a small-capacity turbo-petrol engine, a 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated engine or a hybrid powertrain with "additional electric power".

Measuring 3900mm long -- roughly the same length as the new MX-5 -- the compact coupe would be a solo mission by Toyota, not an alliance with Subaru, as is the case with the 86.

"Some things must be made by ourselves," observed Tada, who added that the car would be a global model.

"Toyota is a global company. All models should be global models," he said.

That bodes very well for Australia, as does being the world's third largest market for the 86, after the USA and Japan.

Indeed, Toyota Australia sales and marketing chief Tony Cramb told carsales the S-FR was high on his agenda.

"I think Aussies, particularly younger Aussies, have a real predisposition to this kind of vehicle. I think MX-5 will do really well here, the 86 has done amazingly well too.

"And I think something like this [S-FR] could do well in Australia too, I really do."

Cramb explained that when he first saw the photos of the S-FR concept he wasn't confident it could work in Australia, but chatting in front of the car at the Tokyo motor show he was ebullient.

"In real life I definitely think that could work in Australia," he enthused.

Part of the reason the 86 has been so popular in Australia is the inclusion of an automatic transmission, and Cramb admitted that if the S-FR was a bare-bones manual-only proposition it could be a hurdle to bring it here.

"Look, it depends. I think because it's going to be most appealing to younger people [it may not be an issue].

"There's two groups of people who want it. One of those groups will be absolutely delighted with a manual. The other group of people that love the concept of driving a little car like that, the fun of it, just really enjoy that spirit of driving, a lot of them like autos as well," he said.

It's carsales' understanding that Toyota would not bring the car to Australia if an automatic was not available, but Cramb suggested the company's local division may have some say in its development.

"There's a bit of work to be done on a vehicle like this," he said with a grin, concluding: "There'll be a lot of interest in a car like this".

Read our full coverage of the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show