In the past few years Toyota's line up was lacking passion and performance. It didn't help that all of the sports model were dropped. The beloved Supra was last sold in the US in 1998, and 2005 for both the MR-2 and Celica.

However this all changed with the introduction of the Lexus IS-F and the LFA super-car. But the average buyer couldn't afford the $60,000 price tag for the V-8 sport sedan, yet alone spent $375,000 on the Lexus super-car.

So under a jointed project with Subaru, Toyota produced a light-weight, compact, rear-wheel sports car known as the Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 (or Scion FR-S in North America). Some have complained about lack of power, and or the high price tag. So it seems Toyota maybe addressing both of those issues.

During an interview with Top Gear Tada-san and Sasaki-san may have just spilled the beans on Toyota's future sports car development. Tada-san and Sasaki-san toyed with the idea of an additional flagship and entry-leve sports car.

However, nothing is yet written in stone and the state of the global market may scrapped any chances of a new Supra successor. In the end only time will tell if legendary Supra nameplate will continue and give the company a much needed GT-R rival. Below are parts of the interview with both Tada-san and Sasaki-san regarding the addition of more performance models from the Japanese giant.

Two more sports cars could be developed by Toyota, including a spiritual successor to its cult car, the Supra. The man responsible for the development of the company's new 86 sports car, chief engineer Tetsuya Tada, says there is room for a three-tier sports car line-up in the Toyota range, with one car sitting below the 86 and one above it.

If they were to be made, the three new sports cars would return Toyota to its former two-door glory days, when sports cars were as important to its line-up - and as iconic - as the LandCruiser.

''Right now the 86 will be a mid-size sports car,'' he told Drive through an interpreter.

''I would like to have one smaller and one larger. One would probably be a Supra follower. Nothing has been decided yet. It would [be] like a Supra successor.''

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He said the car could be another joint venture with Subaru, which co-developed the 86 (or BRZ as the Subaru is known) but it would depend on the concept.

Subaru has a chequered history with two-door sports cars. The wedge-shaped Vortex of the 1980s and the chunky, expensive and oddly styled SVX struggled to find buyers in the 1990s.

Toyota's sports car history is more comprehensive, encompassing the Celica, mid-engined MR2 and flagship Supra. Each was successful but they have all been discontinued in the past decade. The Supra was an iconic sports car that Toyota produced from the late '70s to 2002. Powered by an in-line six-cylinder engine, it was popular in Australia in the early '90s - although it was discontinued here in 1993 - and fast became a favourite of car tuners.

Grey imports (sold through small importers, not Toyota dealers) were common and gave buyers access to relatively affordable, sleek-looking, high-performance sports cars. Even today the Supra is a popular coupe with enthusiasts and those looking for something different. Modified Supras can still fetch more than $30,000.

It's not yet known if any Supra successor would use the Supra nameplate. Many expected the new coupe to adopt the Celica label but Toyota instead chose to name the car loosely after the AE86 Corolla/Sprinter, which was a favourite of drift enthusiasts.

Heritage counts for plenty in the sports car world - Porsche's 911 is the most iconic, even leading to a buyer uprising when word spread of plans in the 1980s to shelve the rear-engine coupe and replace it with a more conventional front-engine V8 - but all-new models can also squeeze their way into a market segment that's more about image and branding than outright sales. The Audi TT is one example.

Toyota is trying to shake off its reputation for building dull but dependable cars and the 86 is a key part of the company's push to have cars that are ''fun to drive''.

Toyota adopted the catchphrase ''Fun to drive'' in the 1980s but discontinuing sports cars such as the Supra, Celica and MR2 has taken lustre off the brand in recent years. Under president and car enthusiast, Akio Toyoda, the company is looking to return to its sports car roots.

''Personally, I love the smell of gasoline and the sound of an engine, so I hope that this type of vehicle never disappears,'' he told the media at the Tokyo Motor Show this week.

''I hope that motor vehicles will continue to provide dreams and inspiration to people for all eras. I believe that if it is not fun, it is not a car.

''I truly believe that no matter how advanced cars become, it is important to retain this feeling.''

Tada said Toyoda was keen to have a Supra replacement if the numbers added up.

According to an interview with the brains behind the the Scion FR-S, the rumored upcoming Supra will not be a hybrid despite a recent concept sports car from Toyota.

“I think current hybrid technology is not good for road sports cars,” FR-S chief engineer Tetsuya Tada said during an interview with Top Gear.

The Scion FR-S has reminded the buying public that Toyota can make spectacular sports cars. With the limited power and small footprint of the FR-S, there is a tremendous opening in the automaker’s product line for a larger and more powerful sports car. The FR-S features various references to the classic AE-86, this hole could be filled by a car with an even more important model name from Toyota’s past: the Supra.

Tada does mention his “next sports car.” When describing the next car he says ”I want to make a big… ‘wow.’ I want to give the world a shock.”

When asked directly about a new Supra, Tada says “Of course, anything is possible.” Yoshinori Sasaki, another engineer associated with the FR-S said, “It’ll be a different avenue of sports car from the GT 86.” He is adamant that this new Supra will use a pure gasoline drivetrain.

Sasaki also stresses their support of the Supra’s traditional front-engine rear-drive layout, ”rear-engined, rear-driven cars – and even mid-ship designs – are OK. But if you want to make an enjoyable sports car, it should be front-engined, rear-drive.”

Toyota’s GRMN Sports Hybrid Concept II was hypothosized to be the next Supra but it is mid-engined and a hybrid. The new car will likely be the BMW 6 Series-based sports car that Toyota is developing with the German automaker.

The infamous ‘return of the Toyota Supra’ rumor’s beaten corpse has somehow turned up once again to receive blows across its heavily deteriorated left-over skull. The most recent news to come out of the media-o-sphere, is that the Toyota Supra will return and will NOT be a hybrid, according to Top Gear who recently spoke to Scion FR-S chief engineer Tetsuya Tada.

The return of the Supra is bound to happen. Even though the Supra rumor mill has spun a bearing or two in the recent years, it tends to get resurrected with a fresh set of forged pistons and connecting rods every-so-often.

During Top Gear’s interview with Tada, he mentions his “next sports car” he wants “to make a big… ‘wow’.” He also concluded that he wants “to give the world a shock” and ”rear-engined, rear-driven cars – and even mid-ship designs – are OK. But if you want to make an enjoyable sports car, it should be front-engined, rear-drive.” Tada is also adamant that the next sports car will use a pure gasoline drivetrain, potentially debunking the idea for a hybrid.

It is conceivable that Toyota has interest in sparking excitement among car enthusiasts around the world, especially after the conception of the FR-S/BRZ. Even though they had Subaru’s help with the FR-S, Toyota remains well-capable of introducing a ‘wow-factor’ sports car. Only this time, as suggested by sources, the new Supra could be a joint venture with BMW based off of their 6 Series. Let the games begin!