Tag Archives: GR Corolla

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Toyota’s Liquid-Hydrogen, Superconductive GR Corolla Breaks Cover at Fuji—And It’s Wild

Two and a half years after Toyota floated the idea—one that sounded more like sci-fi than motorsport engineering—a race car blending superconductive tech with a liquid-hydrogen–fueled engine has finally torn down a real-world straightaway. And it didn’t do it quietly.

At the finale of the 2025 Super Taikyu Series at Fuji Speedway, the prototype GR Corolla hydrogen racer fired up its engine, hissed with icy vapor, and shot past the press like a rolling physics experiment unleashed. At first glance, it looks like last year’s liquid-hydrogen Corolla—but the similarities end at the sheet metal.

Superconductivity Meets Motorsports

Inside the fuel tank, where liquid hydrogen sits at –253°C, Toyota’s engineers managed something no automaker—or anyone, really—has done before: integrate superconductivity into a moving, violently vibrating, endurance-racing machine.

Superconductivity eliminates electrical resistance at low temperatures. That means the system can extract the same power from the motor with far less current—allowing the engineering team to shrink components and rethink packaging. One of the biggest breakthroughs was placing the pump motor inside the fuel tank itself, freeing up enough space to double tank capacity from 150 to 300 liters.

Kyoto University professor Taketsune Nakamura, one of the foremost superconductivity experts in Japan, didn’t sugarcoat the technical insanity of the project:
“Superconducting motors are being researched and developed worldwide, but there still isn’t a single practical application.”
Putting one in a race car, he added, was nothing short of “totally insane.”

A Week From Disaster, a Day From History

The development process lived somewhere between high-risk engineering and controlled panic. Even days before the first shakedown lap—one week before its public reveal—engineer Ryosuke Yamamoto admitted, voice tight, that he had “no idea what would happen” when the car hit the asphalt.

Yet on November 15, the liquid-hydrogen GR Corolla ran cleanly, safely, and smoothly enough to stun the gathered media. It didn’t just work—it worked well enough that journalists immediately asked the question everyone was thinking:
When does this thing race?

Eyes on the Fuji 24 Hours… Maybe

When broadcaster and hydrogen-car evangelist Yuta Tomikawa asked if the team would bring it to next year’s Fuji 24 Hours, hydrogen-engine project chief Naoaki Ito offered a careful, almost mischievous grin before replying:
“We’ll do our best.”

The Fuji 24 Hours has become Toyota’s proving ground for all hydrogen-powered firsts. In 2021, the world’s first hydrogen-engine race car debuted there. In 2023, Toyota returned with the updated liquid-hydrogen variant. The superconductive version feels like the next natural chapter—if Toyota can get it race-ready in time.

What Comes Next

Toyota isn’t promising anything yet. But the car’s successful demonstration run suggests a competitive debut is not a matter of if but when. With just six months until the next Fuji 24 Hours, the team is already grinding toward the next iteration.

Superconductivity in motorsport still sounds like something ripped from a physics textbook. But at Fuji Speedway, for a few frigid seconds, it was real—loud, fast, and running on the coldest fuel on Earth.

And that’s how revolutions in racing usually start: not with perfection, but with the first lap that didn’t blow up.

Source: Toyota

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Toyota Pushes Hydrogen Tech Into Overdrive at Super Taikyu Final

At this year’s Super Taikyu Final Thanksgiving Festival—held November 15–16—Toyota isn’t just showing up. It’s making a statement. The company is rolling into Round 7 of the 2025 ENEOS Super Taikyu Series with something far more interesting than another evolutive track special. It’s bringing the liquid hydrogen-powered GR Corolla and using the grueling multi-hour endurance format as a live test lab for the hydrogen future it insists is still worth fighting for.

And judging by the tech Toyota is unveiling, “hydrogen future” might not be as far off as the skeptics think.

Liquid Hydrogen, Evolved: The GR Corolla H2 Levels Up

Toyota has treated the Super Taikyu series like its own skunkworks playground for the last few seasons, and the #32 TGRR GR Corolla H2 is now one of the most sophisticated hydrogen-burning testbeds anywhere on Earth.

This car isn’t a fuel-cell EV—this thing burns hydrogen in a reworked internal-combustion engine. Same pops, bangs, and turbocharged fury. Zero carbon.

At Round 3 earlier this year at the Fuji 24 Hours, the hydrogen Corolla hit several milestones:

  • A new liquid-hydrogen filling valve trimmed weight and bumped safety margins.
  • Toyota successfully tested hydrogen combustion-mode switching, giving engineers better control at high load.
  • Most impressively, the team finished the full 24 hours without swapping the high-pressure liquid-hydrogen pump—a huge leap in durability.

The catch? More power equals more pump stress. Running maximum output continuously is still a challenge, so for the season finale Toyota is gunning for the next frontier: full-race max-power durability.

Superconductors in Your Fuel Tank? Toyota Says Yes.

Here’s where things get wild.

Toyota announced it has reached the point where its hydrogen prototype can run with a superconducting motor inside the fuel tank—a device that drives the liquid-hydrogen pump.

Why is this a big deal? Because superconductors offer nearly lossless efficiency when chilled to extremely low temperatures.

Liquid hydrogen happens to sit at –253°C, which is perfect.

That synergy unlocks some huge advantages:

  • Up to 1.3× more tank capacity thanks to a more compact pump/motor assembly.
  • Lower weight and lower center of gravity, improving handling.
  • Reduced boil-off losses because the bulky external flange (a heat leak point) disappears.
  • More compact packaging, meaning future hydrogen performance cars won’t need awkward tank shapes or packaging compromises.

Toyota is essentially discovering a weird new physics cheat code that only works in hydrogen applications. It’s bold, experimental, and frankly the kind of high-risk R&D we wish more automakers were still doing.

The Multi-Pathway Message: Hydrogen Isn’t Dead

Toyota has been almost stubbornly committed to its “multi-pathway” carbon-neutrality strategy—battery EVs, hybrids, plug-ins, fuel cells, and now hydrogen-burning performance engines all get equal development love.

Critics say it dilutes focus. Toyota says customers and markets around the world need options, not dictates.

Bringing a liquid hydrogen race car with superconducting pump tech to a major motorsport event feels like Toyota doubling down on that philosophy.

And honestly? We’re here for it.

Meanwhile: A Little American Flavor in Japan

Alongside the hydrogen fireworks, Toyota is also adding some cultural spice to the festival. As part of a Japan–U.S. automotive exchange event, Toyota will display three U.S.-built models rarely seen on Japanese roads:

  • Toyota Camry (U.S.-spec)
  • Toyota Highlander
  • Toyota Tundra

Visitors can hop in and check them out—an opportunity to experience the size, style, and swagger of American-market Toyotas that simply aren’t sold domestically in Japan. The Tundra alone is a curiosity in a country where kei trucks dominate narrow streets.

It’s a small gesture, but a cool one, reminding fans that Toyota is just as much an American brand as it is a Japanese icon.

Super Taikyu has evolved into Toyota’s hydrogen crucible—an endurance torture test where the automaker can break things, fix them quickly, and break them again. The introduction of superconducting pump technology, integrated inside a liquid hydrogen tank chilled to –253°C, might be one of the most radical motorsport innovations in years.

While other companies chase efficiency algorithms and OTA updates, Toyota is out here reinventing physics inside a race car.

And honestly? We hope they keep going.

Source: Toyota

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The Next-Gen Toyota GR Corolla Could Pack 400 HP — And a Four-Cylinder Heartbeat

The Toyota GR Corolla has never been shy about its intentions. From the moment it hit the streets, the rally-bred hot hatch became a cult hero — a three-cylinder, turbocharged firecracker that punched way above its weight. With 300 horsepower from just 1.6 liters, all-wheel drive, and a six-speed manual, it was Toyota’s love letter to enthusiasts in an era of downsized engines and dwindling driver engagement. But the little three-pot’s reign might be nearing its end.

According to reports out of Japan, Toyota is preparing to up the ante with the next-generation GR Corolla — and the changes under the hood could be seismic. The new model is rumored to ditch the 1.6-liter three-cylinder for a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that could deliver around 400 horsepower. That’s right — a 100-hp jump and an extra cylinder to boot.

From Three to Four: The Evolution of GR Power

At the unveiling of the new Corolla concept in Japan, Toyota quietly slipped in a surprise: a freshly developed 2.0-liter turbo-four, internally dubbed G20E, reportedly capable of producing anywhere between 400 and 600 horsepower depending on tuning. This new powerplant isn’t just about brute force. Engineers describe it as having a simpler design, greater reliability, and a much larger headroom for tuning compared to the maxed-out three-cylinder that currently powers the GR Yaris and GR Corolla.

Hiroki Nakajima, Toyota’s technical director, hinted to MotorTrend that this engine could serve as the foundation for future Gazoo Racing models. While he stopped short of confirming it for the next GR Corolla, the implication is clear — Toyota is ready to move past the limits of its pint-sized powerhouse.

A “Little 2JZ” for the Modern Era

Enthusiasts have already given the G20E a nickname that carries serious weight: “Little 2JZ.” The comparison to Toyota’s legendary inline-six from the Supra isn’t made lightly. Both engines share a focus on durability and tuning potential, with Toyota engineers reportedly claiming that the new four-cylinder can handle up to 600 horsepower with a beefier turbo setup.

If those claims hold water, the GR Corolla could transform from an underdog into a segment dominator. Even at its rumored 400 horsepower output, it would comfortably outgun the Honda Civic Type R (315 hp) and Volkswagen Golf R (328 hp) — a statement of intent from Toyota’s performance skunkworks.

Gazoo Racing’s Hot Hatch Arms Race

The GR Corolla was already known for its razor-sharp handling, rally-derived all-wheel-drive system, and mechanical grip that made it feel like a tarmac-bound WRC car. Pair that chassis with a 400-horsepower turbo-four, and you’re looking at something that might redefine the limits of front-biased AWD hot hatches.

While Toyota hasn’t confirmed specs, a move to the G20E engine would likely come with upgrades to cooling, drivetrain strength, and aerodynamics — and perhaps even a dual-clutch transmission option for those who want speed over engagement. Still, given Gazoo Racing’s ethos, we expect the manual gearbox to live on.

A New Hot Hatch Benchmark in the Making?

If the rumors prove true, the next-generation Toyota GR Corolla could be less of an evolution and more of a revolution. A 400-horsepower turbo-four would not only secure its spot atop the hot hatch hierarchy but also reaffirm Toyota’s commitment to performance engineering at a time when most automakers are going electric or softening their edges.

The three-cylinder GR Corolla made us believe in compact combustion again. Its successor might make us fall in love all over.

Source: Toyota