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News

Toyota Teases a Trio of New Performance Machines Ahead of December 4 Reveal

Toyota has dropped a shadowy teaser for not one, not two, but three all-new sports models set to share the spotlight on December 4. The dimly lit preview hints at a bold future for both Toyota and Lexus performance, with what appear to be a new Lexus sports coupe and two flavors of Toyota’s upcoming GR GT supercar—one street-legal, the other track-hungry.

A New Era for Lexus Performance

On the teaser’s left side, a clean, sweeping silhouette looks suspiciously like the production evolution of the Lexus Sport Concept first shown in August. The two-door shape and futuristic light signature match the concept almost line for line, suggesting Lexus hasn’t strayed far from its show-car styling.

That original concept already bordered on production-ready, so expect the showroom model to retain most of its proportions while dialing back some of the wilder interior touches. The teaser hints at a textured rear glass panel, though there’s no confirmation yet on whether the concept’s more dramatic features—like roof-mounted fans, an illuminated fin, or the central F1-style brake light—will survive the transition.

While many expected this model to be fully electric, recent reports point instead to a GR-derived hybrid V8, developed specifically for Lexus. With an estimated arrival in 2026, the unnamed coupe appears aimed at replacing the long-serving LC, not resurrecting the legendary LFA nameplate.

Toyota’s GR GT Supercar Steps Into the Light

Front and center in the tease is Toyota’s new GR GT supercar, confirmed through a Japanese TV spot to be debuting at the same event. Compared to the Lexus, the Toyota wears a longer hood, conventional rear glass, and crisp full-width LED taillights.

A cherry on top: we’ve already seen its interior. Earlier previews showed a driver-focused cabin with a large infotainment display, tactile physical switches, and lightweight carbon-fiber bucket seats.

Under the skin lives something even more serious. Toyota says the GR GT will pack a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 paired with a self-charging hybrid system. Word is the combustion engine alone could produce around 800 horsepower, making this the most powerful Toyota ever—and, in many ways, a spiritual successor to the V10-powered Lexus LFA.

A GT3 Monster Joins the Family

Completing the trio is an all-out racecar that clearly shares DNA with the GR GT but takes the aggression up several notches. Spy shots and the prototype that stormed the hill at Goodwood match what we see here: vented fenders, a fixed rear wing, side-exit exhausts, a beefier diffuser, and a stance that sits inches closer to the pavement.

This is almost certainly Toyota’s upcoming GT3 competition variant, a follow-up to the 2022 GR GT3 Concept and built to take on premier GT3 series worldwide.

The Big Unveil

All three models will make their global debut on December 4 during a live-streamed reveal hosted by Toyota President Akio Toyoda and Chief Branding Officer Simon Humphries. If the teaser’s shadows are anything to go by, Toyota and Lexus are about to enter 2026 with a performance lineup that looks sharper—and meaner—than ever.

Source: Toyota

NEW CARS

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

News

Toyota Doubles Down on Hybrids with $912 Million U.S. Manufacturing Boost

Toyota is turning up the dial on its U.S. hybrid strategy. Last week, the automaker announced it will invest an additional $10 billion across the United States over the next five years, bringing its total investment in the country to a staggering $60 billion over seven decades of operations. The first $912 million of that sum is earmarked for an ambitious expansion of five domestic manufacturing plants—and it underscores Toyota’s commitment to hybrids rather than fully electric vehicles.

Kevin Voelkel, Toyota’s senior vice president of manufacturing operations, said the company’s U.S. teams are gearing up to meet growing consumer demand for hybrids. “Customers are embracing the brand’s hybrids,” Voelkel said, “and our manufacturing teams are ready to deliver.”

West Virginia Leads the Charge

The lion’s share of the investment—$453 million—will go to Toyota’s West Virginia facility. The plant, set to begin expansion in 2027, will boost production of four-cylinder hybrid engines, sixth-generation hybrid transaxles, and rear motor stators, creating a significant production ramp for the company’s hybrid portfolio.

Supporting Cast: Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Missouri

Toyota’s Kentucky plant will receive $204.4 million to build four-cylinder hybrid-compatible engines, generating 82 new jobs. In Mississippi, the company is investing $125 million to start domestic production of the Corolla hybrid—a major milestone in bringing one of Toyota’s most popular hybrids to U.S. soil.

Tennessee’s Jackson plant will see $71.4 million directed toward three new production lines slated to open in 2027 and 2028, increasing output of hybrid transaxle cases, housings, and engine blocks. Meanwhile, the smallest allotment—$57.1 million—will go to Toyota’s Troy, Missouri, facility. The plant will add a new line producing cylinder heads for hybrid vehicles, capable of more than 200,000 units annually, and create 57 jobs.

A Calculated Hybrid Bet

While some automakers are racing headlong into all-electric models, Toyota remains cautiously optimistic about hybrids. With U.S. EV demand plateauing after the expiration of federal tax incentives, the automaker sees hybrids as a pragmatic bridge technology—and a lucrative opportunity in the near term.

By doubling down on hybrids, Toyota is staking its claim in a segment that may increasingly define the next decade of American automotive demand. For U.S. consumers, that means more domestically built, fuel-efficient options rolling off the line in the years ahead.

Source: Toyota