Rumour Suggests That Next Toyota GR86 And Mazda MX-5 Will Be Twinned

For the last decade or so, the Mazda MX-5 and Toyota GT86, later GR86, have been pretty much the only options if you’ve wanted a small, simple, affordable rear-wheel drive sports car (okay, there was the Fiat 124 Spider, too, but that was basically just an MX-5 that wasn’t quite as good).

With next-generation versions of both cars thought to be in active development, a rumour in Japan has thrown us a bit of a curveball – the next GR86 and MX-5 could be one and the same underneath. The rumour, like so many relating to the country’s car industry, comes from Japanese magazine Best Car, and has been picked up by a Tokyo-based Forbes correspondent.

As wild as these reports seem at first, it wouldn’t be the most far-fetched notion for the two companies to team up. It’s increasingly common for car companies to pool resources and work together on sports cars, which are increasingly niche propositions in the modern market. The current-gen MX-5 was originally going to launch alongside an Alfa Romeo Spider twin, before it became the Fiat 124 instead, while on Toyota’s side, the first two generations of 86 have been co-developed by Subaru, spawning the BRZ, and the GR Supra is twinned with the BMW Z4.

What’s more, the two companies already have fairly close existing ties: Toyota actually owns 5.1 per cent of Mazda, and several existing Mazdas borrow heavily from Toyota – the Mazda2 Hybrid, for instance, is a rebadged Yaris Hybrid.

Reportedly, the two cars will use an updated version of the current MX-5’s front-engined, rear-wheel drive platform, but each model will retain its existing identity. The MX-5 will remain a two-seater roadster, while the platform will apparently be stretched a little to accommodate the GR86’s 2+2 coupe body.

Where the rumours do start to go against what we’ve previously heard is the suggestion that both cars will use 2.0-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinders, potentially with hybrid assistance. This contradicts Mazda execs saying earlier this year that the next-gen MX-5 will move to a bigger but cleaner-burning 2.5-litre engine.

Of course, until we hear anything concrete from either manufacturer, this whole report is to be taken with a very big pinch of salt, as is the similar rumour that the next-gen Toyota Supra will also spawn a Mazda twin. One thing’s for sure, though – the notion of Toyota and Mazda working together on a sports car is a lot less far-fetched now than it was in the days when the RX-7 and A80 Supra were duking it out for the affections of enthusiasts in the 1990s.