Local GM boss welcomes Toyota to Supercars

Aussie motorsport fans were shocked last week when Toyota announced it would enter the 2026 Supercars Championship with a V8-powered Supra, and it seems almost everyone is keen on the idea of a new manufacturer entering the iconic motorsport category.

Local General Motors boss, Jess Bala, is one of them, and told carsales more competition is a great thing for the series which has been dominated for a “very, very long time” by GM (previously Holden, now Chevrolet) and Ford.

Toyota’s surprise announcement – which detailed a five-year program starting in 2026 – is some of the biggest news in Australian motorsport recently, however Bala said it wouldn’t affect GM’s involvement in the category.

“I think it’s great for the competition,” she said.

“It’s obviously been Chevy and Ford, and prior to that Holden and Ford, for a very, very long time, so bringing another manufacturer in, I think it’s going to do really great things for the sport.

“It might bring some new fans into the sport as well; put us on more of a global stage now we have the same manufacturers that are in the NASCAR competition… so I think it’s a really good thing.”

Bala reaffirmed GM’s commitment to Supercars – what is considered by many to be the pinnacle of Australian motorsport – and revealed the US auto giant was currently negotiating a new contract.

“We go out a matter of years and actually we’re due to re-sign as we speak, so we’re actually already talking through that process,” she said

“We are definitely re-signing, yes.”

But while Toyota will field a purchasable model in the form of the Supra, as Ford does with the Mustang, Chevrolet will continue competing with the now obsolete Camaro which went out of production in December last year.

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