Toyota GR Boss Hints at Performance SUVs in Future Lineup
In case you haven’t noticed, Toyota has been working extra hard these past several years to inject excitement into its product lineup. GR models developed with the help of its Gazoo Racing motorsport division are a prime example.
They’re all cars, mind you—GR Corolla, GR 86 and GR Supra. Oh, and let’s not forget the little GR Yaris that we can’t have here in Canada. A vast majority of people prefer SUVs. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what needs to happen next. And apparently, the powers that be know it.
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"To expand the GR brand, maybe [SUVs] are needed, as well," Toyota GR President Tomoya Takahashi recently told Australian media including Drive, acknowledging there is a market for high-performance SUVs. "Some people can only use SUVs because they have families."
Toyota currently sells GR Sport versions of some of its SUVs and pickups, but these vehicles are more about style than substance. In other words, they don’t really enhance performance or provide big thrills behind the wheel. Also, none are available in North America.
While Takahashi is suggesting that a true GR-branded SUV is something that needs to be done and is increasingly likely to happen “in the future,” we can only speculate about where it might be sold. Of course, demand would be strong in the U.S., and offering it in Canada at the same time would make sense, too.
Right now, the head of Gazoo Racing says his team has "limited resources" and must “prioritize the projects already being developed.” Meanwhile, Toyota has to be careful about not diluting the GR badge by launching too many models.
The automaker introduced a GR Prius concept last year ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but nothing has come of it. When do you think we’ll see a GR Corolla Cross, GR RAV4 or GR 4Runner?