Toyota could introduce GR sedan, electrified sports models

Toyota’s Gazoo Racing skunkworks could be fettling a sedan following, and has remaining the door wide open up for electrification before 2030.

Bob Carter, govt vice president of income at Toyota Motor North The united states, instructed Motor Pattern to “stay tuned” when requested about the likelihood of a GR-badged sedan.

As for electrification, Toyota claims there’s nothing imminent but it is assessing the possible of foreseeable future electrified GR designs, with Mr Carter indicating an electrified GR auto could “quite possibly” appear in five yrs.

“Electrification coming to GR is something we’re speaking about. In the very long expression, what is the finest way to provide what GR is and what does electrification have to do with that,” stated Cooper Ericksen, team vice president of item arranging and tactic at Toyota.

“The critical is enjoyment to generate, light-weight, observe overall performance, so if we can supply that with an EV, we may well glance into that.”

Toyota at the moment gives both of those GR and GR Sport-badged types.

GR cars are fanatic-oriented, focused general performance machines, and incorporate the GR 86, GR Supra, GR Corolla and GR Yaris. Toyota claims this year’s GR GT3 notion is also transferring into the growth stage.

In contrast, GR Sport models characteristic aesthetic and mechanical tweaks but don’t offer any more power.

Toyota sells GR Activity variations of almost everything from the Yaris and Prius up to the HiLux and LandCruiser 300 Collection. It is also previewed a GR Activity variation of its upcoming bZ4x electric crossover.

In contrast, Mr Carter advised the US publication last 12 months there were being no ideas for GR-badged SUVs.

“I don’t want to reduce just about anything, but at first no,” mentioned Mr Carter past yr.

“The significance is exhilarating driving. When you go to SUVs you have larger centre of gravities and it’s just not conducive. Absolutely nothing is off the table, but to begin with you can be expecting it to be a motor vehicle-dependent auto. There’s even now a industry for that.”

As to what this mooted GR sedan could be, a GR Corolla sedan looks an apparent suggestion.

The GR Corolla hatchback, owing listed here by year’s end, makes use of the GR Yaris’ turbocharged 1.6-litre a few-cylinder motor but with far more electricity (220kW) and the very same torque (370Nm), mated with Toyota’s GR-Four variable 4WD system.

It’ll be obtainable only with a six-speed handbook transmission – for now.

Toyota has been testing an 8-pace torque-converter automatic transmission in a GR Yaris, which could give the GR Corolla much more quantity appeal.

Although American fanatics have been identified to take pleasure in a stick change, scorching hatches are less common there and a sedan body model could resonate far better.

Motor Pattern also documented the GR sedan may possibly be a GR Camry.

There’s precedent for a scorching Camry. In Australia, TRD created a hotter, supercharged variation of the Aurion, as the V6-powered Camry was acknowledged in this article for two generations.

The blown V6 generated 241kW of electrical power and 400Nm of torque, up 37kW and 64Nm on the already punchy Aurion V6.

Tweaks for the TRD Aurion involved larger sized brakes, stickier Dunlop SP Activity Maxx tyres, stiffer springs and firmer damping, and a 12mm lessen journey top, even though there was no minimal-slip differential or all-wheel push technique.

Though the TRD Aurion was unsuccessful, a TRD-badged Camry appeared in North The us in 2019.

Although its 224kW 3.5-litre V6 is unchanged, it options a cat-back twin exhaust, thicker underbody braces, stiffer coil springs, and specially tuned shock absorbers, among other mechanical tweaks aimed at providing it “track tuning”.