Toyota Wants To Build A Race-Inspired Hybrid Supercar
The GR Super Sport concept could be our first preview of that.
KhodroCar - Toyota is committed to endurance racing. The Japanese marque has confirmed that it will be taking to the track next year as part of the 2018-2019 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) behind the wheel of its TS050 Hybrid racers, and again the year following. But President Akio Toyoda wants to see that same hybrid technology carry over the road, too.
Just a few weeks after Toyota teased its upcoming Gazoo GR Super Sport concept – a hybrid supercar inspired by LMP1 racers – President Toyoda is calling for a road-going vehicle with the same technology. Given the marque’s success on the track, a similar power setup should be able to carry over to a sports car with ease.
"This year, I went to Le Mans for the first time and heard people cheering for Toyota," said Toyoda. "I also heard many people saying that they would like to see Toyota come out with a hybrid sports car-like our cars in the race (the TS050). I, too, would like us to produce just such a car, and I think it would be one that would help make cars fun for the next 100 years."
Just a few weeks after Toyota teased its upcoming Gazoo GR Super Sport concept – a hybrid supercar inspired by LMP1 racers – President Toyoda is calling for a road-going vehicle with the same technology. Given the marque’s success on the track, a similar power setup should be able to carry over to a sports car with ease.
"This year, I went to Le Mans for the first time and heard people cheering for Toyota," said Toyoda. "I also heard many people saying that they would like to see Toyota come out with a hybrid sports car-like our cars in the race (the TS050). I, too, would like us to produce just such a car, and I think it would be one that would help make cars fun for the next 100 years."
While not outright confirming production of the Gazoo GR Super Sport concept, those statements lead us to believe that the hybrid concept – or some version of it – could become a reality in years to come. Details on the proposed road-going vehicle are still slim, but Toyota cites "technological feedback acquired through motorsports activities" in its development.
"The ever-better cars that Toyota pursues are honed and created via the extreme environment of motorsport," said Toyoda. "That is exactly why we will persistently engage in motorsport, without being swayed by the good and bad of economic times."
For now, fans of the brand should be looking forward to the upcoming Supra, which is scheduled to make its debut sometime in 2018. Just don’t be expecting it at the Detroit Auto Show. Rumor has it that the Supra will come powered by a 400-horsepower (298-kilowatt) biturbo V6 when it goes on sale, but a hybrid version could join the range down the line.
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