Overview

• Japanese outlet Best Car, echoed by multiple publications, reports Toyota will co-develop the next GR86 with Mazda on the MX-5’s architecture, with production handled in Hiroshima, though no automaker has confirmed the claim.
• Best Car says Mazda has dispatched engineers to Toyota and that the GR86 would use a stretched version of the chassis to retain a 2+2 hardtop layout while the MX-5 remains a two-seat roadster.
• Reporting indicates distinct powertrains, with Toyota targeting a hybridized 2.0-liter four-cylinder for the GR86 and Mazda likely moving to a 2.5-liter lean-burn four for the next MX-5.
• If realized, the move would end the Toyota–Subaru GR86/BRZ pairing and raises uncertainty about the BRZ’s future pending official guidance from Subaru.
• Separately, Toyota executive Sean Hanley reaffirmed the brand’s ability to develop GR sports cars on its own, offering context but not validating a Toyota–Mazda tie-up.