The next-generation Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ twins may ditch the aging platform of the current models in favor of a new one from Toyota, claims a report from Car Sales and Motoring (same story).
But don’t be quick to believe what you read, as the report provides no hard evidence whatsoever other than an unnamed Subaru insider (allegedly) saying that the new sports cars might swap the current Subaru-engineered vehicle-specific architecture for Toyota’s New Global Architecture (TNGA). The latter is used in many vehicles including the Corolla, Camry, RAV4, and Highlander.
It is true that the TNGA has been developed for use in front-, rear- and all-wheel drive configurations, so theoretically, it could find it’s way in the new 86 and BRZ. A few possible benefits from this solution would be increased torsional rigidity and some weight savings.
Subaru has ruled out the possibility of the new models using its own Global Platform, as this architecture doesn’t support rear-wheel drive layouts and would mean the new coupes would have to be all-wheel drive.
Also Read: Subaru Tells Us A Next-Gen BRZ Is Definitely Going To Happen
However, as of yet, there’s no official word that the new models will move to the TNGA platform and for all we know, they could continue using the current chassis. If this is the case, then the new 86 and BRZ would most likely keep a Subaru-sourced boxer unit.
Neither Toyota or Subaru are commenting on when the second-generation 86 and BRZ will be launched, but we expect to see them unveiled in late 2020 or sometime in 2021.