The new Toyota CEO Koji Sato has indicated that the Gazoo Racing brand will expand under the stewardship of ex-boss Akio Toyoda, who is now the company’s chairman.
When Akio Toyoda stepped down from the helm of Toyota at the beginning of the year, enthusiasts were concerned the new management would put the brakes on the Gazoo Racing lineup.
With the Japanese automaker deciding to heavily invest in EVs to catch up with rivals, some assumed sports cars would be put on the back burner. Thankfully, that’s not going to be the case. Newly appointed CEO and President hints the GR lineup could even grow.
The Toyota’s boss said “The Gazoo brand will be acknowledged for the future – and maybe we can even speed it up.” He went on to say Akio Toyoda, who is now the automaker’s chairman, “has a lot more time to develop cars” for the Gazoo Racing division he founded back in 2007.
However, he declined to go into details about what might come after the GR Yaris, GR Corolla, GR 86, and GR Supra. It’s been a while since anything was heard about the hypercar as the last time Toyota mentioned the GR Super Sport was in September 2021.
At that point, there was still no decision about putting the electrified machine with over 1,000 horsepower into production. Customers are also patiently waiting for the long-rumored GRMN Supra, which is still a no-show after many years of speculation.
If the Sports EVs will see the light of production day, it’ll do battle with the recently unveiled MG Cyberster and the next-gen Porsche Boxster/Cayman coming strictly as EVs in 2025. A year later, Alpine will unveil its purely electric A110 successor co-developed with Lotus.
Toyoda, a grandson of the company’s founder, resigned last month. He took the helm as President in June 2009, after gaining experience “in every phase of automotive operations, including production, marketing and product development, both in Japan and internationally,” according to Toyota.
But Toyoda alluded to a tough tenure saying, “When I look back on my last 13 years as president, there was never a day that was peaceful.”
“Never did I experience a calm and peaceful year,” Toyoda said, saying that he did not always feel “welcomed as President,” and that it was tough to hear criticism of his leadership.
“I believe that over the past 13 years, I have built a solid foundation for passing the baton forward.”
Toyoda
It is therefore, a good news for sports car lovers, now that the newly Appointed President has expressed interest in reviving it.
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