The Japanese resource BestCarWeb reports that Toyota and Mazda plan to expand their cooperation, which officially began in 2017. It is expected that in the spring of 2025 the companies will announce the joint development of a new sports car.
Toyota and Mazda have been working closely together since 2017, when they became shareholders in each other's companies. As of September 2024, Toyota owns 5.1% of Mazda's shares, making it the third largest shareholder in the company.
The collaboration between the two brands has already been implemented in production projects: a joint plant in Huntsville (Alabama, USA), opened in 2021, produces the Toyota Corolla Cross and the Mazda CX-50. The hybrid version of the latter uses the Toyota Hybrid System. In addition, the European Mazda 2 Hybrid is an OEM version of the Toyota Yaris.
Now, however, the collaboration between the two brands may move to a new level. It is known that Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda and Mazda President Masahiro Moro have developed friendly relations: both are motorsports enthusiasts and communicate frequently.
Further confirmation of the new collaboration was the participation of Mazda engineers in the Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) division, which could mean joint development of the next-generation Toyota GR Supra, which is expected to be released in 2027.
Rumors of a partnership are also fueled by the similarities between the Mazda RX Vision concept from 2015 and the Toyota GR GT3, presented at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2022.
Experts suggest that these models could be built on a common platform. Mazda is known for its design approach, so expectations from the new sports car are extremely high. Further details about the project will be revealed later.