Toyota just brought the world together in a profoundly beautiful way as per this impromptu interview R&T had with Toyota Supra’s assistant chief engineer.

I’m still quite taken aback at how absolutely precious this quote from Masayuki Kai AKA the Toyota Supra’s Assistant Chief Engineer found its way into this Road and Track article. As per Road and Track in an off the cuff interview they had with said Assistant Chief engineer earlier today (Sept. 20,2018) Toyota is winning auto hearts all over the world today as many of their engineers believe they want to bring the Celica and MR2 back, stalwarts of 90’s JDM goodness. Please go ahead and read the rest of the interview in the link provided above.

A pre-production version of the Toyota Supra that’s been heavily camouflaged pending its final reveal is doing press duties as journalists flog them around a former F1 track. In attendance are many of Toyota’s engineers and architects, influential people in the project. Road and Track, asking the right questions “as per yooj” somehow coaxed out of their aforementioned Kai that a 90’s JDM revival brought up to date was “in their blood” and possibly in the works.

We want to have Celica back, we want to have the MR2 back,” Kai told me. “The biggest was Supra. Supra was number one, the biggest demand from the market,” he continued. “Now that we’ve brought Supra back, what will come next depends on the market needs.”

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The Celica is a badass FWD and AWD vehicle, depending on what trim level you got, that slew a host of high power competition in rallying and racing. It was also a pretty good daily driver that was affordable and lively.

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The MR2 is a mid-engined performance sport compact that, with a handful of modifications, is an absolute cornering beast, also fun and affordable.

Both sold literally hundreds of thousands and cemented themselves as quintessential Toyota sports cars, an image, I think, Toyota is really bringing back with this Supra.

These new Toyota Sports car will be brought into the 21st century in a major way, though.

Kai hinted that the Celica could return as an all-wheel drive compact performance coupe to compliment the rear-drive Toyota GT and Supra. Or perhaps the mid-engine MR2, if a business case can be made. “Or maybe it could be a completely different model,” Kai said. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

This chief engineer is wise a.f. as he threw out one of the most humble lines in regards to Mazda,

“I believe there are a lot of things we need to learn from Mazda.”

That is BIG coming from Japan’s largest car maker. In more or less words Kai reiterated that sports cars aren’t exactly profitable for car companies, need lots of R&D, and are harder to make in today’s niche market.

BUT, if companies come together, like Toyota did with BMW in the Supra and Z4, wonderful things can happen. That includes learning something from your competitors.

What a wonderful little interview and, ya, everyone would like to see a new Celica and MR2 AKA something NOT crossovers.

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