Next GR86 and MX-5 to be co-developed

JAPANESE car magazine Best Car has reported that there is “significant potential” that Toyota and Mazda are co-developing the next generation GR86 and MX-5 sports car together.

According to the outlet, Toyota and Mazda signed a memorandum of understanding on a partnership in 2015, which developed into a capital alliance with cross-shareholding in 2017, with Mazda dispatching several engineers to Toyota City to work on the project.

Toyota has reportedly outlaid significant funds to review the current MX-5 platform to make it compatible with both the next generation GR86 and MX-5 – both of which will retain their rear-wheel drive configuration.

It is understood Toyota has cut ties with Subaru – with which it developed the first two generations of GR86 and BRZ – meaning the latter may become extinct come 2028.

Production of the next GR86 and MX-5 is expected to take place at Mazda’s Hiroshima facility which Forbes magazine suggests will be extensively upgraded to handle the increase in production.

The outlet suggests the model will be built in two guises, with the Mazda MX-5 retaining its two-seat convertible body style and the Toyota GR86 being ‘stretched’ to again accommodate a 2+2 arrangement beneath a hard roof.

Importantly for fans of the GR86 and MX-5 it is likely the duo will not share drivelines. Toyota aims to fit the next generation GR86 with a hybridised 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol with upwards of 150kW while Mazda will likely shift to a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol with lean-burn (Skyactiv-Z) technology.

That shift means the “MX-5” platform will again be offered with a choice of two engines, depending on brand, in much the same way it did when paired with Abarth a decade ago. Then, Mazda offered a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine in its MX-5 while Abarth sold its 124 Spider with a Fiat-sourced turbocharged 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol.

As with Abarth, it seems collaboration between manufacturers is the best way forward in ensuring low-volume petrol-powered sports cars survive in modern times.

As Forbes puts it, “What Toyota and Mazda are doing is the best and smartest way to keep their roadsters alive”. We couldn’t agree more.

Look forward to more information on the third-generation Toyota GR86 and NE-series Mazda MX-5 ahead of their debut in mid-2028.