Next Toyota GR86 to be based on Mazda MX-5 - report

The sports car square dance may have a new pairing in the not-too-distant future, with the next iteration Mazda MX-5 reportedly sharing its lightweight, rear-wheel drive platform with the third-generation Toyota GR86.

A report in the latest issue of Best Car magazine, which we discovered via Forbes, claims Toyota will abandon Subaru as its development partner for the 86/GR86 line in favour of Mazda.

According to the Japanese magazine, a coterie of senior Mazda engineers have already been dispatched to Toyota to work on the project, which will use the current MX-5 platform as its starting point.

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While the Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ are basically the same car bar a few minor styling changes and handling modifications, the new MX-5 and GR86 pairing will have a lot more differentiation, although both will be built by Mazda at its factory in Hiroshima.

The MX-5 will remain a two-seater, with the platform stretched a little to allow the next GR86 to retain its 2+2 layout.

Likewise, the two vehicles will use their own engines, with the MX-5 using a Mazda 2.0-litre four-cylinder, possibly with some form of hybridisation, and the GR86 employing a Toyota 2.0-litre hybridised setup.

It should be noted, Ryuichi Umeshita, Mazda’s chief technical officer, told Road & Track in July the next-generation MX-5 was going to use a larger 2.5-litre engine.

Should the Best Car report prove accurate, it won’t the first time the MX-5 has been partially developed with the help of another manufacturer, as the current ‘ND’ model formed the basis of the Fiat 124 Spider. Produced by Mazda between 2016 and 2019, the 124 Spider had unique front and rear ends, as well as Fiat’s 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine.

If this report turns out to be true, it will be interesting to see where Subaru goes with the BRZ. Will it continue to develop the existing model and platform, find another partner, or abandon the segment entirely?

Toyota holds minority stakes in both Mazda and Subaru, and has technology, development and platform sharing deals with both. Notable shared models include the Toyota bZ4X/Subaru Solterra and Toyota bZ4X Touring/Subaru Trailseeker, and the Toyota Yaris which is sold Europe as the Mazda 2 Hybrid.

MORE: Everything Toyota GR86 MORE: Everything Mazda MX-5