Although Toyota has intensified its teaser campaign in recent days, the much-hyped supercar won’t debut at the Japan Mobility Show in late October after all. The wait won’t be long, though; an official countdown page reveals that the premiere is scheduled for December 4 at 9 PM Eastern Time. The car’s first public appearance will follow in January 2025 at the Tokyo Auto Salon.
Ahead of its long-awaited debut, Toyota’s third supercar, after the 2000GT and Lexus LFA, reveals its engine note in a new teaser. During a live broadcast this week, the sounds of all three models were played: first the classic car’s inline-six, then the unmistakable V-10, and finally what seems to be a V-8.
Contrary to initial reports, the new supercar will wear a Toyota badge. On October 10, Toyota installed a billboard at the final corner of Fuji Speedway featuring all three supercars and revealing a “GR” logo for the upcoming model. If it’s badged as a Gazoo Racing product, it’s unquestionably a Toyota. In fact, the countdown page mentioned earlier is hosted on Toyota Gazoo Racing’s official website.
Earlier rumors suggested that only the race car would bear the Toyota logo, while the street-legal version would be sold as a Lexus, possibly wearing the LFR badge. It now seems increasingly likely that both versions will fall under the GR umbrella, unless Toyota plans to sell the road car as a Lexus in North America.
The supercar has been a long time coming. Toyota first hinted at a new performance flagship in January 2022 with the GR GT3 concept at the Tokyo Auto Salon. By the time the production version arrives, nearly four years will have passed. The concept, developed by Gazoo Racing, was clearly more of a pure race car than a road-going machine.
Regardless of whether it carries a Toyota or Lexus badge, the new model will be a bespoke creation with no ties to existing cars. All signs point to a hybrid powertrain, as prototypes spotted at the Nürburgring wore yellow warning stickers. Those are mandatory at the Nordschleife to alert safety crews in case of an accident that the vehicle contains a high-voltage electrical system.
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While technical details remain under wraps, it’s clear this will be Toyota’s first performance-oriented hybrid. Although the company has built sporty electrified concepts before, none have reached production. Reports suggest the combustion engine will use twin turbochargers, while the body will make extensive use of carbon fiber over an aluminum chassis to keep weight down.
The new supercar will sit at the top of Gazoo Racing’s lineup, well above the GR Yaris, GR Corolla, GR86, and GR Supra. Toyota has also hinted at expanding the family by reviving the Celica and possibly the MR2. What’s certain is that a new turbocharged 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine is in development for a wide range of applications: from front-engine, front-wheel-drive setups to mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive models.
Who knew Toyota would be the savior of fun cars?
