The Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ are pretty awesome cars in their own right. They were both built to be driven without a focus on straight-line performance but handling and maneuverability. That was made possible thanks to the collaboration between Subaru and Toyota. Thanks to Subaru’s engine, the 86 was able to have a low center of gravity that it wouldn’t have had if Toyota had but it on its own. And, the Subaru BRZ probably wouldn’t exist at all if Toyota hadn’t been there to share costs. We’ve been wondering just when we’re going to see the twins evolve into the next stage of their life and, while we don’t know that, we know that Toyota and Subaru are partnering up once again. And, it’ll be even better than before. Here’s why.

Subaru Will Actually Be an Affiliated Company of Toyota

Part of the collaboration for the next-gen Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 means that Toyota will be buying enough shares to have 20-percent voting rights in Subaru – about 24,300,000 shares or an increase of 3.17-percent in voting rights. At the same time, Subaru will buy enough shares in Toyota, up to $741 million worth, to facilitate Toyota’s purchase. This deal makes Subaru an affiliate company of Toyota, and this is more important than you might think.

It’s also said that both automakers will work together to build more AWD models, something that should benefit Toyota much more than it does Subaru – after all, Subaru’s AWD system is second to none.

Does it mean the two companies will eventually merge? Probably not, but anything is possible, and it might be good if that happened, but for now, they will just be working very closely together.

The Subaru BRZ Could Enter an All-New Niche

It was just recently that Toyota’s chief engineer went on record saying that the second-generation 86 was going to surpass the Supra. Or, in other words, it’s going to be better to drive. We don’t know if that means that it’ll handle better than the Supra, be faster than the Supra, or if it’ll be more of a driver’s car, but it does mean that the Subaru BRZ will, in turn, also be better to drive than the Supra. That’s a huge deal, folks.

With the new investments and collaboration between Toyota and Subaru, the 86 and BRZ twins are set to move into their own, new little niche and the BRZ, more specifically, will find itself attracting new customers from different walks of life. From what we’ve taken from the rumor mill, the next-gen 86 and BRZ could switch over from the Impreza platform that underpins the current models to Toyota’s TNGA architecture. The same rumor mill says that both models will be powered by the 2.4-liter engine found under the hood of the Subaru Ascent.

It doesn’t like much in today’s world of high-performance four-cylinder cars, but it would account for an increase of 55 horsepower and 121 pound-feet of torque. And, that’s assuming that neither Toyota or Subaru tune the Ascent’s engine to deliver more power, which is entirely possible. If the current models can get to 60 mph in 6.4-6.7 seconds, a lighter car with that much extra power and torque could break into the high 5s. Of course, neither car will be meant for straight-line performance as they will still be driver’s cars through and through.

2019 Subaru Ascent specifications

When Will the Next-Gen Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ Debut?

As of right now, there’s no word as to when the next-gen Toyota 86 or Subaru BRZ will debut. We have yet to see any spy shots of either car nor have we seen or heard about any prototypes. In fact, this new “alliance” as it’s being called won’t even be finalized until the deal is approved by competition authorities. That means that both cars could be at least a couple of years out if not more. That also raises yet another question: Will the Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 be temporarily discontinued?

Holding the same models without any time of moderate upgrade or facelift might not be that desirable and, as such, both companies could run out the stock they have on hand until the next-gen models are due to go on sale. We’re expecting to see them debut by 2022, but they may not go on sale until 2023, making the first-gen models 11 years old. With both cars being fairly popular in their own niche, however, this could be a big opportunity for marketing as well. If both companies end production after 2020 and start teasing and promoting the next-gen models they could, in fact, be very popular when they do launch.

2019 Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ drivetrain specifications

Final Thoughts

I, for one, am quite happy to hear about this new collaboration \ alliance. It will bring a lot of good our way when it comes to the BRZ\86 twins while at the same time give both companies a more wide-scale edge on the competition that neither has had so far. I wish I could say for sure when we’ll see the next-gen 86 and BRZ, but the important thing, for now, is that we can finally say they are going to happen – something that we weren’t so sure was going to happen until recently.

Further Reading

Read our full, driven review of the 2017 Toyota 86.

Read our full, driven review of the 2017 Subaru BRZ.