A NEW Toyota sports car has been revealed and will replace the GT86 coupe launched in the UK in 2012.

The new car is now called the GR 86 in a nod to Toyota's GR racing team and will join the GR Supra and the GR Yaris in the company's performance pack.

The GR 86 has just had its world premiere in Japan and as before the car will be a joint venture with Subaru but now has a bigger capacity Boxer engine.

Details are sketchy at the moment but Toyota has confirmed the engine is a 2.4-litre block, up from the previous 2.0-litre unit used in the GT86.

As such, performance is expected to be improved with the GR 86 having a 0 to 62mph acceleration of around 6.3 seconds - down by almost 1.5 seconds compared to the GT86.

Toyota says that with a kerb weight of 1.27 tonnes the GR 86 will be the lightest four-seater coupe in its class and its dimensions are similar to the GT86.

The company says it will inherit the ‘fun-to-drive characteristics' of the original with torsional rigidity increased by some 50 per cent.

It is unlikely the new Subaru BRZ - the GR 86's sister car - will be coming to Britain.

Further details are due to be announced later this year and prices are expected to start from around the £30,000 mark - some £3,000 more than the GT86.