Sports Car for Toyota?

Washington DC September 0, 2007; The AIADA newsletter reported that Toyota Motor Corp. is hinting that a new sports car may be on the drawing board to fill a gap left by the retirement of the MRS two-seater.

"We used to have a lot of sports cars, but not anymore," said Kazuo Okamoto, executive vice president for R&D. "So now we want to try it again."

Automotive News reports that Okamoto made the comments after speaking last month about Toyota's midterm business plan. Included in the presentation were plans to launch more "appealing products" that are "fun to drive." The presentation was accompanied by a slide show depicting a Lexus sports car along with two other concept cars with aerodynamic noses, slung-back drivers' cockpits and tapered tails.

. Toyota's MRS was retired this year. Other sporty models over the years have included the Celica, which was discontinued in 2006, and the Supra, on the roads for nearly a quarter of a century, from 1978 to 2002.