What It Is
Toyota has developed a much-celebrated taste for sports cars as of late, and it isn’t done yet. Its most recent efforts are hotted-up versions of existing models, but reports out of Japan claim the company is looking to do an all-new, all-small sports car based on the nearly decade-old S-FR concept.
Why It Matters
The S-FR concept, if you recall, was a tiny roadster built to pay homage to the Sports 800, the company’s first sports car. Sold in Japan only, the Sports 800 featured a front-mounted engine, rear-wheel drive, and a manual transmission under bodywork that would preview the legendary 2000GT. The S-FR concept, which allegedly means “Small Front (engine) Rear (drive),” was first shown in 2015, and rumors of production have swirled since.
Platform and Powertrain
Those rumors got a bump last year at the Japan Mobility Show when Toyota’s small-car subsidiary, Daihatsu, revealed the Vision Copen concept. It doesn’t take too much imagination to see how the two concepts might be related. Moreover, Toyota’s open declaration that all its ground-up sports cars must be done in collaboration with another automaker to split costs has added fuel to the fire.
The Copen, after all, has been in production since 1999, featured a GR high-performance model back in 2019, and received its last full redesign in 2014. The timing is right, and Toyota’s interest is established, so all it would take is a more formal collaboration.
Assuming the Vision Copen is an accurate preview of the next-gen model, the stats look solid. Unlike today’s Copen, the Vision concept is rear-drive just like the S-FR concept. Otherwise, it retains the production Daihatsu’s turbocharged three-cylinder format but punched out from 660cc to 1.3 liters. Power output is unknown, but you can bet it’s significantly more than the present car’s 63 hp and 68 lb-ft.
The dimensions are also greater. Today’s Copen is a kei car at just 133.7 inches long and 58.1 inches wide. The Vision Copen stretches to 151 inches long and 66.7 inches wide, just 3.1 inches shorter and 1.6 inches narrower than the latest Mazda Miata. That’s awfully close to be a coincidence.
But doesn’t Toyota already have a Miata fighter in the GR86? Many have made that argument, but keep in mind the GR86 is nominally a four-seater and offered only as a coupe. Should the S-FR reach dealers, it would slot below the GR86 in Toyota’s pecking order with just two seats.
The bigger question is whether Toyota would sell it outside of Southeast Asia. For U.S. hopefuls, its small size is a big stumbling block because the car would need to meet our regulations; this could seriously increase its cost to engineer and build. Reports from Japan suggest Toyota could sell the car for less than $25,000 locally, a high profitability hurdle even before costly engineering work for export markets. The relatively low sales figures for the Miata and GR86 make the equation more difficult. Consequently, can the global market support another small sports car?
Estimated Price: $28,000
Expected On-Sale Date: Late 2026
