Toyota's Next Mid-Engined Coupe Is Going Racing This Weekend

Here's another early glimpse of what will likely become the next MR2.

Mid-engined Toyota sports car prototype

Photo by: ORC Ogura Racing Clutch

Adrian Padeanu

By: Adrian Padeanu

Oct 23, at 3:29am ET

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Toyota's mysterious mid-engined sports car is back in the spotlight, this time wearing a coupe body that looks considerably different from the original GR Yaris M concept. However, don't assume this is what the production car will look like. Ogura Racing Clutch, a Japanese supplier, shared the latest photos, which show the work-in-progress prototype during track testing.

Look a little closer, though, and the prototype's origins are hard to miss. It still uses headlights and taillights from the GR Yaris, suggesting Toyota is repurposing familiar components while developing the underlying mechanical package. The boxy fender extensions further suggest this is a test mule rather than a preview of the final body.

Those squared-off extensions appear to provide room for the cooling hardware and airflow the mid-mounted engine needs. They look functional rather than like the integrated bodywork we'd expect on a finished production car. The overall shape may be closer to what Toyota has in mind, but the details are far from final.

From GR Yaris Hatchback To Mid-Engined Coupe

Toyota introduced the GR Yaris M concept at the 2025 Tokyo Auto Salon, turning its rally-bred hot hatch into a test bed for a mid-engine layout. Instead of the familiar front-mounted engine, the concept moved the powertrain behind the driver, fundamentally changing the car's packaging and weight distribution.

The original concept still looked like a GR Yaris, albeit with a rather unusual engine placement. First spotted a few months ago, the coupe-bodied prototype represents a more radical departure, with a lower roofline and a shape better suited to a purpose-built sports car. Even so, this certainly ain't the final look.

Toyota can test the engine, cooling system, transmission, and chassis without committing to a production-ready exterior design. That's particularly important for a mid-engined car, where ensuring sufficient airflow to the powertrain can be a major engineering challenge. The new images therefore offer a glimpse of how the project is evolving, not necessarily what the finished car will look like.

According to Japanese media, the coupe-bodied GR Yaris M concept is heading back to the racetrack this weekend, competing in the sixth round of Japan's Super Taikyu Series at Okayama International Circuit from October 23–25. GR Team ORC Field is racing the car in the experimental ST-Q class.

A New Turbocharged Engine Will Power Toyota's Next Sports Car

Toyota developed the GR Yaris M concept around its new G20E turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. The company has been developing this next-generation powertrain for future performance applications, and the mid-engine prototype offers an opportunity to evaluate it in a different configuration.

Toyota has also used the project to explore the challenges of a midship layout, including weight distribution, handling, and cooling. The large openings behind the doors are particularly relevant because a mid-mounted engine needs an effective way to draw in air and manage temperatures under sustained hard driving.

Toyota GR Yaris M Concept

Source: Toyota

A production version could potentially combine the engine with all-wheel drive, although Toyota has yet to confirm the final drivetrain or disclose output figures for a road-going model. Naturally, the possibility of a new MR2 has generated plenty of excitement. The nameplate has been absent from the lineup for years, and a compact, mid-engined coupe would be a fitting way to bring it back.

What do you think?

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Toyota has ambitious plans for its new four-cylinder engine, targeting more than 400 horsepower in a road-legal production car. That's a substantial output for a relatively compact four-cylinder, potentially giving a future mid-engined sports car serious performance credentials far beyond what the GR Yaris' smaller three-cylinder, 1.6-liter engine can deliver.

The production car is likely still a couple of years away, given how much development work Toyota still has to do and how many Yaris-sourced parts this prototype still uses. Nevertheless, we're glad to see the project progressing, and we can't help but notice the M concept badge at the rear. That suggests Toyota could unveil an updated concept as a follow-up to the GR Yaris M before the production car arrives.

Toyota's Mid-Engined Sports Car Takes Shape:

Toyota Is Quietly Building A Mid-Engined, All-Wheel-Drive Sports Car

Toyota's New Mid-Engine Sports Car Is Getting ‘Better Every Day’

It's Official: Toyota Has A New Mid-Engine Car In The Works

Toyota Is Having 'Difficulties' With Its Mid-Engined Performance Car

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