Toyota and Subaru To Make Joint Announcement On April 5; New 86 or Something More?

Strangely, the announcement was neither made by Toyota nor Subaru but by Toyota Gazoo Racing.

A social media post from the Toyota Gazoo Racing’s official account announced that Toyota and Subaru will be making a joint announcement on April 5th. The image shows the instantly recognizable shut-lines of the BRZ and the Toyota 86. So we can be fairly certain that the car in question will likely be the 86. But if Toyota will christen it the GR 86 remains to be seen.

So far, only the Supra and the Yaris flaunt the GR moniker but that could change. GR or not, the 86 will be mostly identical to the Subaru BRZ which debuted just a few weeks ago. Telling them apart will likely be as tricky as before. A six-speed manual as standard driving the rear wheels will possibly be standard. It is also expected to be powered by the same 2.4-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder boxer engine as the BRZ. Power output will probably be identical too at 228 hp and 184 lb-ft. of peak torque. Subaru intends to bring the BRZ to the market by fall 2021 so we can expect the 86 to debut a few months after that.

While the debut of the 86 is almost certain, Toyota and Subaru might take the opportunity to announce something more at the event as well. The two Japanese automakers had announced that they are jointly working on an EV platform for an electric compact crossover. Considering the announcement was made in 2019, maybe we can even expect the new electric compact crossover based on the e-TNGA to debut (even if as a concept) with the new 86.

Discuss this story at our Toyota GR86 forum.

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