Toyota Will Make Fun Cars for a ‘Long, Long Time’

Who knew Toyota would be the savior of performance cars? Beyond the GR Yaris, GR86, and the GR Supra, Gazoo Racing has been dropping hints about bringing back iconic nameplates. Chief Technology Officer Hiroki Nakajima confirmed a new Celica last November. We might also get an MR2 since the name appeared in an episode of Toyota’s Grip anime series. Now, an executive from the company’s Australian branch says fun cars are not going anywhere.

Speaking with Carsales magazine, Toyota Australia’s Vice President for Sales and Marketing pledged that “combustion engines and manual transmissions will be around for a long, long time.” Sean Hanley added that even with the shift toward electrification, the biggest car marker for the fifth consecutive year knows enthusiasts still prefer the “snap, crackle, and pop” only an ICE can deliver.

Toyota wants to make Gazoo Racing a “one-stop shop for every car enthusiast and performance fan.” To spice things up, GR is investigating synthetic fuels to extend the combustion engine’s life span. Electric sports cars are also a priority, as demonstrated by the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive FT-Se concept.

During the interview, Hanley also mentioned the Yaris M concept we saw last month at the Tokyo Auto Salon: “I’ll leave it to you to speculate as to what that might mean, but who knows what the future might hold.” The hot hatch eschewed the front-mounted 1.6-liter three-cylinder unit of the current GR Yaris in favor of a newly developed 2.0-liter unit mounted behind the seats. Whether that was an MR2 in disguise is unclear, but Toyota has confirmed its turbocharged four-cylinder engine will power sporty cars.

The “G20E” can be mounted transversely and longitudinally, so it could be used in a wide range of performance models. At its highest state of tune, it is estimated to produce over 400 horsepower and 369 pound-feet (500 Newton-meters) of torque, with even bigger numbers in race car applications.

The Japanese automaker has already said it has no intention of discontinuing Supra. The nameplate will stick around even after the current A90 dies. It’s unclear whether Toyota will replace BMW with another partner for the sixth-generation model. There are some wild rumors from Best Car magazine about a tie-up with Mazda that would also bring back the RX, but take the gossip with a pinch of salt.

Toyota is also developing a large-displacement engine for the “LFR” (name not confirmed), a supercar expected to have a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8. The LFR may wear the Lexus badge, and its GT3 race car is likely to hit the track as a Toyota. Of all the future models we mentioned here, the LFR might be the first to see the light of day, possibly later this year.

Whatever the case may be, Gazoo Racing will be about the “sounds, about the smells, and the feel of a combustion engine,” according to Hanley.