- Akio Toyota’s favorite cars are GR Yaris and GR Corolla.
- If Toyota didn’t have a full lineup, these hot hatches would be the only ones they would sell.
- Toyoda told an aspiring engineer that the door was open for a hypercar.
Top people in the automotive industry usually sit in the office all day, but Akio Toyoda is not one of them. Under the pseudonym “Morizo”, the company chairman has been racing cars for Toyota’s Gazoo Racing team as a second gig since the 2007 Nürburgring 24 Hours endurance race. Even at age 69, the former Toyota president and CEO remains very active.
During a visit to Fuji Speedway for a test drive event, Toyoda made an interesting revelation to an engineer who will be starting work for Toyota this spring. When asked what Toyota considered a good car overall, the chairman admitted that if it were up to him, the company would only sell hot hatchbacks:
‘If we only built what I like, it would all be GR Corollas and GR Yaris.’
Photo by: Toyota Gazoo Racing
While it didn’t mention other GR-branded models, it’s fair to assume that Toyoda will also add the 86, Supra and new GT to its dream team. Gazoo Racing is now its own entity, recently spun off as a dedicated performance sub-brand. This shows that Toyota is serious about maintaining a consistent lineup of sports cars. There may be more on the way, as there are rumblings of a new Celica, which United States dealers have apparently seen behind closed doors.
During the same interview, the young engineer told the chairman that his dream was to build a new hypercar similar to the V10-powered LFA. Toyoda encouraged this, suggesting that there would be no obstacles to achieving this vision:
‘Once you make up your mind, don’t give up easily. Find people and colleagues who resonate, and you can build that car. Toyota has the freedom to do that.’
A new LFA is indeed coming, but in name only. Lexus is working on an all-electric supercar that was recently previewed by a concept with a name, followed by the Sport concept. Toyota’s luxury division hasn’t set a launch date yet, but we know it’s coming.
Toyota may also enter the electric performance space with the FT-Se, an MR2-esque concept reportedly bound for production later this decade. However, Akio Toyoda has admitted that he prefers gas-burning cars. In an interview last year with Automotive Newsthe Chairman clearly revealed:
‘For me, as a master driver, my definition of a sports car is something that smells of petrol and has a noisy engine.’
Motor1’s Tech: The rise of Toyota sports cars would not have been possible without Toyota’s support. He is a true enthusiast and the driving force behind the company’s decision to greenlight several GR products, eventually leading to the creation of a separate sub-brand.
Of course, Toyota couldn’t survive on GR products alone. They are niche vehicles after all. Models like the RAV4 and Corolla remain the bread and butter of the lineup, funding the development of more exciting cars. These halo models may not sell in large numbers, but they boost the company’s image and draw people into showrooms, even if they buy a Camry instead.
