Developing a dedicated sports car is no easy task. Automakers must engineer bespoke parts for a model that won’t sell in large numbers. Without the ability to spread costs by sharing components with mainstream cars and SUVs, achieving economies of scale becomes nearly impossible. Slapping on a high price tag to recoup the investment risks alienating buyers in an already fragile niche.
Accountants would argue that the math rarely works in a sports car’s favor. The solution? A joint effort to build twinned cars and sell enough units for the financials to make sense. Toyota is no stranger to partnerships, having teamed up with Subaru for the GR86/BRZ and with BMW for the Supra/Z4. But can the world’s largest car company really go solo on such a risky endeavor?
Apparently, yes. Sean Hanley, sales and marketing boss at Toyota Australia, told Drive magazine the company has what it takes to develop a performance vehicle independently. Asked whether a GR dedicated sports car will ever be created entirely in-house, his response was crystal clear: “Yes, yes, and yes. You’ll have to wait and see.”
Hanley likely wasn’t referring to the LFR, since the supercar is expected to be a Lexus product without GR branding. Toyota has teased the return of the Celica, though no prototypes have surfaced. The electric FT-Se concept, pictured above, is still slated for launch sometime after 2026. Meanwhile, the Supra bows out next year, but Toyota has promised the iconic name will return.
There have even been rumors of an entry-level GR sports car positioned below the 86. Remember the S-FR? That tiny concept debuted a decade ago, and while it never reached production, Japanese reports continue to hint at an affordable performance car on the way. Still, it’s hard to imagine Toyota launching so many GR products. It’s simply not realistic in an SUV-dominated era to sell multiple sports cars and still turn a profit.
That doesn’t mean the future will be dull. Toyota’s new turbocharged 2.0-liter gasoline engine, showcased in the midship Yaris concept, could serve as the backbone of the GR lineup. This four-cylinder has been engineered for both longitudinal and transverse applications, making it adaptable for front- and mid-engined vehicles. At the higher end, with twice the cylinder count, the Lexus LFR is rumored to feature a V-8 with some form of electrification.
While bespoke GR cars are tough to justify financially, Toyota has an easier case with the GR Yaris and GR Corolla. Their regular counterparts are immensely popular worldwide, laying the groundwork for performance variants. Developing GR versions isn’t prohibitively expensive since they aren’t clean-sheet designs, and Toyota can amortize costs thanks to the success of the mainstream Yaris and Corolla. Another GR built on an existing model could be a large SUV, with Gazoo Racing chief Tomoya Takahashi calling it a “necessity.”
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