Toyota GR is on track to offer one of the most exciting sports car lineups among mainstream automakers, but it looks like none of them will be fully electric. Chairman Akio Toyoda made it clear that his definition of a sports car is “something with the smell of gasoline and a noisy engine,” which means electric powertrains are off the table for Gazoo Racing, at least for the near future.

Toyoda,  grandson of Toyota Motor Corp. founder Kiichiro Toyoda, who has earned the unofficial title of “master driver”, holds the final say on what makes a Lexus a Lexus and a Toyota a Toyota. Under his leadership, the Japanese automaker has undergone a transformation, becoming a brand that genuinely cares about driving enthusiasts.

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He’s brought Toyota back to the top of motorsports while sprinkling some rally-car magic into production models like the GR Yaris and GR Corolla. With the upcoming debuts of an MR2 successor, a revived Celica, and a GR-branded supercar, Toyoda recently shared his thoughts on the future of performance EVs.

No Electric Dreams, For Now

In an interview with Auto News, Toyoda was asked whether he could imagine a future where Toyota builds an electric sports car or race car. His response was as classic as you’d expect: “There will always be people inside Toyota passionate about developing electric sports cars. But for me as the master driver, my definition of a sports car is something with the smell of gasoline and a noisy engine.”

These comments pretty much crush any hopes of seeing a production version of the electricToyota FT-Se concept from 2023, which many thought might preview a new generation of the discontinued MR2. Toyota has been keeping the MR2 revival rumors alive with a mid-engined GR Yaris prototype, but instead of an electric powertrain, it’s packing the upcoming turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine.

An Electric Sports Car Needs to Be Affordable

Despite his preference for gas-engines, Toyoda hasn’t completely closed the door on EVs. He conceded that if the right conditions come together, an electric sports car could eventually make sense. But there’s a catch: it has to be affordable. “Toyota is a mass-production brand, so we also need to think about affordability, even with BEVs,” he explained. “Once Toyota has the capacity to offer affordable BEVs, then maybe that’s a moment when I, as a master driver, will be introducing a BEV sports car.”

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The master driver isn’t exactly sold on electric race cars, at least not yet. He pointed out that racing EVs are “not exciting,” mainly because they can’t even make it around the circuit for more than an hour. “The kind of races I enter are mostly endurance races, so with current BEVs, it’s not going to be a race of the cars. It’s a race of charging time or battery exchanges or something,” he told Auto News.

For these reasons, he’s handed off the task of developing EV race cars to the next master driver, saying it will be “their job” to tackle.

Speaking of a potential successor, Toyoda did admit that his son, Daisuke, is the better driver. Still, Akio believes he has the upper hand when it comes to the “seasoning” of production models. After honing his driving skills under chief test driver Naruse at the ripe age of 40, Toyoda says he’s eager to see what his son, who started much younger, will bring to the table. “I look forward to seeing what will happen with someone who started young like Daisuke,” he said.

There’s no shortage of chatter about the expanding future of Toyota’s GR lineup, which is expected to include an array of high-performance sports cars ranging from a new Celica and MR2 to the next Supra and even a GR supercar. While many of these machines will be powered by traditional gasoline engines and hybrids, an independent digital artist has introduced a completely electric twist to the mix.

Enter the Toyota bZ86, a fictional creation by digital artist Theophilus Chin. The idea behind the this coupe study is to retain the sporty proportions of Toyota’s current GR86, but with an entirely new, electrified twist.

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Despite borrowing the GR86’s general shape, the bZ86 adopts a completely different design language. In keeping with its electric nature, Chin took inspiration from the recently revealed Toyota CH-R+ crossover and the facelifted bZ4x, resulting in a sleek, futuristic look.

At the front, the electric sports car features a hammerhead-like nose, flanked by sharp headlights and wide bumper intakes. The side profile is aggressively sculpted, with a bi-tone finish on the roofline and side skirts adding a touch of flair. And, of course, the oversized charging port on the front fenders leaves no doubt—this coupe needs to be plugged-in.

Illustrations: Theottle

A Familiar Rear with a Fresh Twist

The rear of the bZ86 borrows heavily from the CH-R+ crossover, with its full-width LED taillights and sloping rear glass. While the plastic cladding on the rear bumper may not be to everyone’s taste, it’s balanced out by the addition of a sporty diffuser. That said, the placement of the license plate holder could use a little more subtlety.

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Since this is purely a digital concept, there are no hard specs to go on. However, the dual-motor setup from the C-HR+, which puts out a combined 338 horsepower (252 kW / 343 PS), could easily serve as the basis for an electric equivalent of the GR86. Pair that with the crossover’s 77 kWh battery pack, and you could expect a range north of 326 miles (525 km) in a more aerodynamic coupe form.

Despite the cool factor of the project, Toyota Gazoo Racing has no plans of introducing an electric sportscar – at least in the near future. The truth is that most buyers will be better off with the upcoming gas-guzzling Celica, MR2, GR86, and GR Supra, temporarily leaving the concept of electric mobility to the hands of family-focused SUVs.

While the bZ86 is an undeniably cool proposal, Toyota Gazoo Racing has no plans to bring an electric sports car to life—at least not anytime in the near future. For now, most enthusiasts will have to do with gasoline-powered options, such as the upcoming Celica, MR2, GR86, and GR Supra, leaving the world of electric mobility to Toyota’s family-friendly SUVs.