Toyota and Subaru have indicated that they will soon be pulling the curtain on a new jointly developed model. For the time being, the brands say nothing, but that it will be a sporty model seems to be certain.
Toyota and Subaru will present a new jointly developed model on April 5. In doing so, the brands indicate that they will further strengthen their cooperation. Both Subaru and Toyota will not reveal anything about the car to be presented, but it will soon be Koji Sato, president of Toyota’s Gazoo Racing department, who will speak on behalf of Toyota. That in any case indicates that the newcomer is a sporty model.
Would Toyota finally present a new GT86? It could just be. At the end of 2019, the two brands confirmed that a new generation of the Toyota GT86 and Subaru BRZ developed together is imminent. In November 2020, Subaru presented the updated BRZ to the world. However, the BRZ was a thoroughly facelifted version of the original presented in 2012. The BRZ got a refreshed nose, a modified rear end and a new 2.4-liter boxer engine that was more powerful with 231 hp than the 200 hp 2.0 of its predecessor.
Subaru BRZ (2020 -)
For the time being, that fresh BRZ is purely an American affair. Although the revised BRZ will be built at Subaru’s Gunma factory in Japan, just like the model before it, there would be no plans to ship the BRZ to Europe. That can mean a number of things. Either the new Subaru BRZ will not come to Europe but will be sold elsewhere in the world, or the American BRZ is not the international version of the new BRZ and Toyota GT86. We aim for the Toyota to present the new GT86 on April 5, which may have strong similarities with the already well-known facelift BRZ. It may only be the GT86 that is coming to Europe and Subaru is keeping its BRZ outside the European borders.
It is not entirely certain yet. For example, Toyota has been alluding to the arrival of a smaller sporty model for years. On April 5, Toyota and Subaru will give the answer.