Toyota has just unveiled a Gazoo Racing-badged Prius, but don’t get too excited. It’s called the Toyota Prius 24h Le Mans Centennial GR Edition, but aside from the aggressive body kit, it’s unfortunately mostly a visual makeover with no extra power.
The GR Edition model is still a concept for now, designed as a homage to mark the 100th anniversary of the historic 24 Hours of Le Mans race, thus its name. Interestingly, it’s actually part of a joint exhibit between Toyota, Mazda, and the Japan National Tourism Organisation, where the car will be displayed at the race village over the weekend.
Toyota says that the new GR-ified Prius (sorry, we’re not repeating the name) boasts “excellent driving performance” thanks to its new aerodynamic devices, consisting of a new front splitter, front and rear canards, a carbon fibre bonnet for weight savings, rear diffuser, and a new fixed rear wing that’s made of carbon fibre, of course.
Tying up its new “go fast” looks are the new larger honeycomb lower grille up front, flanked by motorsports-inspired multi-headlamps clusters, and new decals all around the exterior, including one that reads “Racing Hybrid” – which, sadly, doesn’t really mean anything at all here.
That’s because the only mechanical upgrades here come in the form of a new “wide tread” suspension set-up, which widens the tracks by 40 mm both front and rear while lowering the car by 30 mm, promising excellent grip and manoeuvrability.
The new suspensions are also paired to a set of new 18-inch alloy wheels, shod in wider (and stickier) 235/50R18 Micheline Pilot Sport 4S rubbers for increased grip around the corners.
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Otherwise, the powertrain underneath the bonnet is still the same hybrid unit consisting of a 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated engine and a powerful electric motor, for a combined system output of 223 hp. Granted, it’s still fairly quick, taking just 6.7 seconds to reach 100 km/h from a standstill – but it’s no GR-quick.
So why does the Toyota Prius 24h Le Mans Centennial GR Edition even exist? Aside from the obvious celebratory reason, it’s also perhaps Toyota’s way of reinforcing its point that electric cars aren’t the only way forward, for now.
The Japanese carmaker has been busy experimenting with various other propulsion methods recently, even going as far as racing with liquid hydrogen fuel in a modified GR Corolla. With the advancement of alternative renewable fuels, the GR-ified Prius could also serve as a rolling testbed for Toyota, combining the “e-fuels” with electrification for net-zero mobility in the near future.
Or, you know, it could just be a way for Toyota to judge public response to the long-rumoured GRMN Prius…
