Toyota's Mazda MX-5 rival rumoured in development with help from Suzuki and Daihatsu
CY Foong · May 10, 2024 09:35 AM
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2016 Toyota S-FR Racing Concept shown
Following the success of the GR series of performance cars, Toyota is rumoured to add one entry sports car as early as 2026.
According to a report in the latest issue of Japan’s Best Car magazine, the upcoming sports car could see the revival of a previously frozen project.
At the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show, Toyota unveiled the S-FR Concept, a small sports car that was inspired by the Toyota Sports 800, the company’s first sports car. Things looked very promising for the potential Mazda MX-5 rival with a Racing Concept unveiled at the 2016 Tokyo Auto Salon but development was put on hold.
Until recently, that is. According to Best Car, the S-FR is reported to be co-developed with Daihatsu and Suzuki. The three-way partnership collaboration isn’t new as it was previously reported that the trio are looking to develop a small, compact sports car.
However, the upcoming sports car might ditch the mid-engine layout for a conventional front-mounted unit instead. If this rumour is true, the FR in the S-FR name gives a clue about the new layout.
2023 Daihatsu Vision Copen Concept shown
The front engine-rear-wheel drive sports car is reported to use a turbocharged 3-cylinder engine that makes 150 PS. The Japanese publication speculated that it could be a downsized 1.3-litre unit of the 1.6-litre G16E-GTS found in the GR Corolla and GR Yaris.
The 1.3-litre engine probability has already been previewed before by Daihatsu in last year’s Vision Copen concept. The roadster is said to be powered by a 1.3-litre unit that runs on carbon neutral fuel but no further details like aspiration or power output were revealed.
Best Car speculated that the Toyota entry sports car could be priced at around JPY 3.5 million (~RM 106.5k). That might sound cheap but that’s just the conversion rate owing to a weak yen. If the S-FR enters production and is brought into Malaysia, you can certainly expect it to be more than RM 200k.
For comparison, the Mazda MX-5 RF is priced from RM 277,000 while the Toyota GR86 starts from RM 295,000.
Traded advertising for a career that fits his passion for cars. Enjoys spotting cars during his free time and has a soft spot for Japanese Kei cars but drives a thirsty manual sedan.
