More hot Morizo Edition Toyotas on the way

A new trademark filing with IP Australia has indicated there are more high-performance Morizo Edition vehicles on the way from Toyota and Lexus, the first of which will likely be the production version of the Lexus LBX Morizo RR Concept.

The new application specifically revolves around the ‘Morizo’ nameplate, which hot hatch fans may already be familiar with via the angry Toyota GR Corolla Morizo Edition that injected more torque, revised gearing, less weight, elite rolling stock, lashings of carbon-fibre and more exclusivity into the already very capable GR Corolla package.

The only other vehicle we’ve seen so far donning ‘Morizo’ badging is the 2024 Lexus LBX Morizo RR Concept, which debuted last month at the Tokyo Auto Salon.

Essentially a Lexus-branded SUV version of the updated GR Yaris hot hatch, the LBX Morizo RR concept broke cover packing 224kW/400Nm, all-wheel drive, an eight-speed automatic transmission, sport seats, track-friendly suspension, upgraded brakes and all the visual attitude to match, including widened tracks.

“The concept is inspired by master driver and Toyota Motor Corporation chairman Akio Toyoda, aka Morizo, who says he wanted a spot in his garage for an everyday luxury Lexus that didn't need to be big in size but needed to be big on fun,” Lexus said at the time.

The brand went on to say its parent company was “yet to confirm when [rather than if] a production version of the LBX Morizo RR Concept will be offered”, which sounds far more positive than its usual ‘under study’ phrasing and strongly implies the feisty little crossover will materialise at some point as a rival for the Volkswagen T-Roc R, and this latest trademark application stirs the pot even further.

Submitted by Toyota Motor Corporation on January 30, the application was inevitably filed within Class 12 (automobiles and parts thereof) as well as Classes 9, 14, 16, 24, 25, 28 and 41, all of which largely revolve around different kinds of merchandise and promotional goods/services.

Such a degree of diversity in the securing of a nameplate usually indicates there’s something big on the horizon, like a high-profile model launch or – more likely – the establishment of a new model range.

With the GR Corolla Morizo Edition having already set the tone and the LBX Morizo RR looking primed to continue the fledgling Morizo dynasty, the what’s next question has to be asked and the two most likely candidates after the LBX are the GR Supra and smaller GR86.

It’s no secret Toyota is working on an even faster Supra that was thought to be known as the GRMN, but all the evidence is starting to point towards this limited-run flagship being called the Supra Morizo (or Morizo Edition) given it will be lighter, more powerful and more aggressive than the standard GR version of Toyota’s flagship coupe.

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