Toyota’s President Wants Three Sports Cars, One Might Slot Below The 86

Toyota is putting the finishing touches on the all-new Supra, but it might not be the only sports car in the pipeline.

In an effort to promote the debut of the Supra prototype, the company held an interview with chief engineer Tetsuya Tada. While we’ve already covered many of the topics that Tada touches on, he hinted the automaker is eyeing yet another sports car.

As Tada explained, Toyota president Akio Toyoda has always said he wants their sports car lineup to consist of “three brothers.” Tada went on to say the 86 is the middle child, while the Supra is the “big brother.” This suggests the other model would be an entry-level sports car to slot beneath the 86.

As Autoblog notes, Tada has mentioned three sports car before and the company might have hinted at an entry-level model when they unveiled the S-FR concept at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show. The concept was designed to “make a whole new generation fall in love with driving” and it attempted to do this by combining lightweight construction with a classic front engine/rear drive layout.

Since the model was a concept, Toyota didn’t release too many details about the car. However, the company confirmed the S-FR was a four-seater with optimal weight distribution and an independent suspension for “outstanding cornering performance.” The concept was also equipped with a six-speed manual transmission that promised to add to the car’s fun and responsive driving experience.

Later that year, Toyota followed up with the S-FR Racing concept which looked perfect competitor for the Mazda MX-5 Cup. Toyota didn’t say much about the car, but the concept featured a front splitter, carbon fiber reinforced plastic canards and lightweight wheels. The model was also outfitted with aerodynamic side skirts and a massive rear wing.

Toyota hasn’t said much about the concepts since then, so it remains unclear if the company is actively pursuing an entry-level sports car. However, fans would likely welcome the model as the 2018 Toyota 86 starts at $26,455 and there’s been a gap at the lower end ever since the Scion tC was phased out in 2016.