We’ve talked at great length about Toyota’s new, smaller, and lighter four-cylinder engines that will power everything. However, little is known about a large-displacement snowmobile designed specifically for the company’s new flagship performance vehicle. The GR-badged supercar is set to premiere in early December, and yes, it will have a V8 engine.
In an interview at the ongoing 2025 Japan Mobility Show, Toyota’s powertrain president, Takashi Ohara, confirmed juicy rumors about a twin-turbo V-8. He explained that this new eight-cylinder setup is based on the company’s upcoming family of modular gasoline engines consisting of 1.5- and 2.0-liter units.
In the mid-engine GR Yaris M concept, the 2.0-liter “G20E” has a target output of more than 400 horsepower. Uehara said Characterexpert That’s “broadly speaking” of the new V-8 four-cylinder engine riding behind the hot hatch’s seats. The V-8 will deliver significantly more power, and not just because it has four extra cylinders and a second turbo.
The man in charge of engines at Toyota also confirmed another part of the rumor surrounding the GT3-derived supercar: the Ice Hybrid will be part of the powertrain. However, he clarified that the Performance Machine will not be a plug-in hybrid. He also hinted that Lexus will use an electric-powered V-8 in the production version of the Sport concept shown here, which, we recently learned, is indeed a hybrid.
Photo by: Lexus
When asked if Toyota’s luxury division will have access to the new engine, Yohura obligingly confirmed it: “You can expect—you’re looking at a new Lexus sports car? Is that…” He also hinted that engineers are tuning the V8 differently for the Lexus compared to Toyota’s GR flagship:
‘Maybe we could have a V-8 with a softer (character), or we could have a more muscular, heavy-duty version.’
We suspect that Lexus will get a “softer” version, while Toyota will employ a “heavy duty” configuration specifically in the GT3 race car. It makes sense for the V-8 to power more than one vehicle. Developing a new engine from scratch for a single, low-volume model would be difficult to justify financially. A racing counterpart helps make the investment viable, while a street-legal Lexus derivative improves economies of scale.
Toyota isn’t the only automaker investing in a new V-8. AMG has one in development, and its parent company, Mercedes, is committed to even the venerable V-12. Meanwhile, BMW has already confirmed that it is tweaking the V-8 to meet upcoming emissions regulations, ensuring its mid-term survival. Through Porsche, the Volkswagen Group also plans to keep V-8s alive into the 2030s.
So yeah, the V-8 isn’t going anywhere.
