Toyota's new GR86 (and not GR 86, since its name has now succumbed to the power of the hashtag and SEO) is just about to land in U.S. dealers this month and in the first half of 2022 for Europe, yet its life in the Old Continent will only last for two years, much shorter than its predecessor's nine-year life cycle.

The shortened life cycle of the Toyota GR86 (shown here in European spec) is due to upcoming stricter safety regulations in the region. This was confirmed by Toyota Europe themselves during the company's annual Kenshiki European Forum, in which they said that the GR86 needs significant re-engineering in order to comply with upcoming stricter safety regulations.

Despite this short lifespan, Toyota Europe still decided to sell the GR86 as a way to boost the brand's image and to meet the demands of its small "but passionate" customer base. Toyota’s senior European vice-president, Tom Fux, told the following to Autocar:

In the end, we decided it’s important to offer this vehicle, and then we will need to stop the vehicle, because it will not meet the new requirements in the future.

But these two years will still provide an opportunity for passionate customers to get the vehicle.”>

As a recap, the Toyota GR86 was first unveiled in North America earlier this April, and it gets a substantial powertrain boost with its 2.4-liter horizontally-opposed four-cylinder boxer engine. It now produces 231 horsepower in Europe or 228 horsepower in North America, while torque is the same for both markets at 184 lb-ft. It's the same engine that's utilized in the Subaru BRZ, and it's essentially a non-turbocharged version of the WRX and Ascent's engine.

Moreover, this engine is able to accelerate from 0-62 mph (100 km/h) in 6.3 seconds with the manual and 6.9 seconds with the automatic. Another benefit of getting the stick-shift is its higher 140 mph top speed versus the automatic's 134 mph.

With these upgrades in mind, the Toyota GR86 is more capable than ever. If you live in Europe, this two-door affordable sports car will definitely be the last of its kind as we head into an electrified future.