MR2 or Celica? Toyota M Concept must prove itself before a road-car release, says development driver Masahiro Sasaki

Toyota is developing its mid-engined M Concept with a possible production future in mind, but development driver Masahiro Sasaki says it must become a car worth releasing before that can happen. Neither its eventual name nor a decision to put it into production had been settled when we spoke to him.

Speaking to BitAuto in Setapak on 29 October, Sasaki described the prototype as an ongoing development project. The question of a road-car version was “still under discussion”, his interpreter explained.

“There is no point releasing it unless it is an excellent car,” Sasaki said, in comments translated from Japanese. “We are currently honing it through racing.”

Images: Ogura Racing Clutch

His answer puts some substance behind the speculation surrounding Toyota's experimental sports car. The latest coupe-bodied evolution appeared at Okayama in October, renewing interest in whether the project might eventually revive the MR2 or Celica name. We covered that development in our earlier M Concept report.

So we put those two names to someone directly involved in the car.

“The car's name has not been decided yet,” Sasaki told us.

His qualification went further than the badge: whether it would remain a racing car or be released as a production car was also unsettled.

There is, then, a distinction between developing towards a possible release and having a confirmed production programme. Sasaki described work to establish how the car could be brought out and how to make it sufficiently good to justify doing so.

The discussion also covered testing in different conditions as part of continuing development, including in circuits outside of Japan. Currently, all observable testing has mainly centred in Japan. 

He also acknowledged the wider challenge of bringing a petrol-powered sports car to market in the current climate though stopped short of identifying a specific regulatory, financial or commercial obstacle.

Image: Car Watch. Note Sasaki's name on the lower right corner of the wheel

Sasaki has a direct stake in the development. Toyota's 2026 Super Taikyu roster lists him as both driver and team director for GR Team ORC Field's No. 28 GR Yaris M-concept. We met him during his Malaysian visit to officiate at GROW Design dealer SC Custom Styling & Autopart.

Toyota first unveiled the M Concept at Tokyo Auto Salon in January 2025. Its official account describes a midship four-wheel-drive layout, with the engine and transmission moved behind the driver and the compact G20E engine used to explore new possibilities for internal combustion through motorsport, and over the course of the year, it has gone from a puffed-up hatchback to a coupe bodystyle.

There is good reason for the interest in a mid-engined Toyota. The brand's last mid-engined production sports car was the third-generation MR2 Roadster, known as the MR-S in Japan. Production ended in 2007, leaving a gap of almost two decades. That car was a rear-wheel-drive two-seater while at present the M Concept explores a midship four-wheel-drive layout.