Just yesterday, there were reports floating around that the Toyota 86 will be getting the axe in the near future with no replacement on the horizon. Turns out, that wasn't true. Even a spokesperson from Toyota had to step in to quell the rumor.

According to Carscoops, Toyota USA spokesperson Nancy Hubbell told them that there is a future for 86, and it won't be going anytime soon. She was quoted, “ As [president] Akio Toyoda said at the reveal of the 2020 Supra, Toyota is committed to building exciting vehicles, including sports cars. The 86 has been in the Toyota family since 2013 and the plan is that it will continue to be a part of Toyota’s sports car line-up”.

It was initially speculated that the entry-level Supra would take over the 86's mantle as Toyota's entry-level sports car. The said base variant, known as the SZ, makes 197 horsepower which is the same as the current 86. With those figures, it was, perhaps, understandable why some would have jumped to that conclusion. Nonetheless, Toyota's statement has clarified the matter, and it's nice to know Toyota is sticking to their guns when it comes to building more sports cars.

We still don't know how long the current-generation model will hang around. Now at six years old, the 86's age has made it one of the senior models of the Toyota range. For now, we won't know when the next-generation model will arrive, or if it will still be a Subaru and Toyota collaboration. There have been rumors mentioning that the 'Toyobaru' venture will continue as a mid-engined sports car (MR2), but Subaru has denied this.

Speaking of MR2, Toyota themselves said that it could be next in line for a sports car revival. Like the future 86, there's still not a lot of details surrounding the MR2 just yet. With the new Supra, the future 86 in safe hands, and plans for the MR2, the future looks sporty and exciting for Toyota.