is hinting that a new sports car might be in the works, meant to fill a gap left by the
retirement of the MR2 two-seater.
“We used to have a lot of sports cars, but not
anymore,” Kazuo Okamoto, executive vice president for R&D, told Automotive News. “So now
we want to try it again.”
Okamoto made the comments after speaking last month about Toyota’s midterm business plan
and said the company must launch more “appealing products” that are “fun to drive.”
Okamoto added that the strategy will involve the “development of a new sports model.”
The presentation was accompanied by a slide show depicting a Lexus sports car along with two other sporty concept cars. One car bears the
the presentation, Okamoto said there were no concrete plans.
back to 1984. It was retired this year.
Other sportyish models over the years have included the Celica, discontinued in 2006, and
the Supra, on the road from 1978 to 2002.
