GR to stay internal combustion indefinitely

Toyota’s flourishing GR performance division will be sticking with internal combustion and manual transmissions for the foreseeable future, the confirmation coming from none other than local sales, marketing and franchise operations manager, Sean Hanley.

Addressing media this morning (March 26), Hanley said GR was committed to the “snap, crackle and pop” of internal combustion and the involvement of a three-pedal set-up, even in the age of electrification.

“Even as we transition to electrification, there is still room to satisfy dyed in the wool performance car lovers, and these enthusiasts are not a dying breed,” he said.

“While we’re focused on future electrification for the rest of our model line-up, we plan to keep GR about the sounds, about the smells and the feel of a combustion engine – that snap, crackle and pop we all love so much.

“It’s that tactile connection between driver and machine that ignites the passions of a car enthusiast, and we have no intention at all of abandoning it in the foreseeable future.

“Combustion engines and manual transmissions will be around for a long, long time.”

Hanley went on to stipulate these internal combustion models might not always be fuelled by petrol, referencing Toyota’s ongoing research and development of synthetic and liquid hydrogen fuels.

He also said the brand would “no doubt” turn its attention to delivering “sports-focused EVs in the future”.

While the aging Supra flagship might be headed for retirement sooner rather than later, the GR Yaris, Corolla and 86 all have plenty of life in the yet and could be primed for Hyundai N and BMW M-style performance parts going forward.

Hanley didn’t expand on the subject beyond the promise of an upcoming catalogue of performance packs and motorsport-focused parts.

“We want GR to be a one-stop shop for every car enthusiast and performance fan,” he said.

During his address, the top exec made special mention – unprompted – of the mid-ship GR Yaris M Concept that debuted at the Tokyo Auto Salon last month to try and stir up hype for the future of GR.

“I’ll leave it to you to speculate as to what that might mean, but who knows what the future might hold,” he said in an obvious reference to the widely theorised and expected return of the iconic MR2 sports car.

The nature of the reference indicates Hanley knows exactly what’s coming and all-but confirms the MR2’s return, almost certainly armed with a new-generation 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine.

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