Toyota is still committed to making fun performance cars. As reported by Carsales magazine, Toyota Australia Sales and Marketing Vice President Sean Hanley said that the combustion engines and manuals are here to stay – and will be staying for a “long, long time” – for enthusiasts who crave that “snap, crackle, and pop” only found in internal combustion engines (ICE).
Speaking to Australian media, Hanley said, “It’s that tactile connection between driver and machine that ignites the passions of a car enthusiast, and we have no intention at all of abandoning it in the foreseeable future.”
“Even as we transition to electrification, there is still room to satisfy dyed in the wool performance car lovers, and these enthusiasts are not a dying breed,” he added, saying that the Gazoo Racing (GR) brand can be a “one-stop shop for every car enthusiast and performance fan”.
But while the performance cars and ICEs are here to stay, they won’t necessarily be in the same way we know them. Hanley says that some future ICE models might not even run on petrol, referencing Toyota’s continuous effort in the research and development of synthetic and liquid hydrogen fuels.
READ: The Toyota Hiace gets a sporty makeover with GR parts, but it’s only for Japan
Right now, Toyota’s current lineup of cars that bear the GR badge are the GR Yaris, GR Corolla, GR86, and the outgoing GR Supra, although Hanley does hint that some new GR models would be joining the performance-oriented family in the future.
Speaking to the media, Hanley made special mention of the GR Yaris M Concept recently shown off by Toyota last month at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2025. Is it some subtle confirmation that Toyota is making a GR MR2? “I’ll leave it to you to speculate as to what that might mean, but who knows what the future might hold,” he said.
READ: This camouflaged Toyota GR Yaris may be hiding the next-generation Toyota MR2 underneath
What will most likely be coming back, however, is the Celica. The return of the Celica has already been verbally confirmed by top Toyota executives, including Toyota boss Akio Toyoda himself. Furthermore, the trademark filing of a ‘GR Celica’ further adds fuel to the speculative fire.
For the outgoing GR Supra, Toyota is intent on keeping the Supra name alive – even after its final send-off with the ‘A90 Final Edition’. Hanley said in a previous CarExpert interview that Toyota has no plans to discontinue the Supra name.
READ: Toyota’s upcoming Celica revival could be called the “GR Celica”, trademark filing suggests
