TMG Toyota Motorsport sub-brand

The President of Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) has dropped a bombshell, confirming the Cologne-based motorsport research centre has almost finished work on a new twin-turbo V8 sports sedan project that will spearhead a standalone high-performance sub-brand.

Talking to Australian journalists at the Toyota Motorsport headquarters in Cologne overnight, TMG President Yoshiaki Kinoshita said the TMG sub-brand is very likely, a brand that would cover both Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

"It's an official plan. After we stopped Formula 1, we decided several things -- one of the things is become an AMG-type company. We are now trying. How difficult or how feasible [it will be], I don’t know. But I think we are in a very good position," Kinoshita-san stated.

Toyota, often pigeon-holed as building boring, appliance-like vehicles recently earned headlines with the launch of its Toyota 86 coupe.

Now TMG has stated it will debut a Lexus LS460-based TMG branded vehicle in September.

As the first vehicle to bear the TMG badge, the highly modified Lexus LS460 four-door concept will show off a new look. It is powered by a twin-turbo version of Lexus's V8 outputting almost 500kW.

First spotted in the background of a TMG brochure photo (pictured) the test car also has flared wheel arches, so we can expect a wider track and more aggressive stance than the standard Lexus LS. It's currently the only model that's being developed by TMG, but more are expected.

Output for the hardcore V8 sports sedan is currently 485kW and the vehicle is being developed at TMG's former F1 facilities in Cologne. The car has already been thrashed around racetracks in Japan and Europe, including the notorious Nurburgring. Akio Toyota has had first-hand experience with the prototype, TMG insiders stated.

Though it will have a 'concept' tag initially, the TMG LS460 will is earmarked for low-volume production, says Alastair Moffitt, Marketing and Communications Manager at TMG.

Mr Moffitt added that the car will show off a more streamlined profile than the LS460 thanks to a highly modified roof. The wind tunnel at TMG's Cologne facility which was built for Toyota's now defunct F1 team was used to improve the car's aerodynamics.

He said the car will also benefit from a bespoke "seamless shift gearbox" and that the tyre frying turbo V8 sports sedan "is the wildest thing we've done".

He hinted that once a show car has been unveiled, a handful of models are likely to be built for customers, and will command high figure pricetags. It is understood that two TMG cars have been built, but one of them was damaged during testing.

TMG's Technical Director, Pascal Vasselon, said it was a logical decision for TMG to start developing and promoting road cars.

"If you look at RenaultSport for example, it's quite logical when you are a racing company, to help your vision to produce more exciting cars... We cannot rely solely on motor sport."

Mr Vasselon said the TMG LS460 is a very different beast to its donor car, the LS460.

"Every single part is reworked. We start from a body shell but it's heavily transformed. Major work on engine, gearbox, suspension, [all] completely redesigned. It's not cosmetic. It's very deep. It's a different car.

"We wanted a reactive and fun-to-drive sports car," he said, stating that TMG vehicles will be far more than tuned Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

"We are not looking at tuning, we are looking at building high performance cars," says Mr Vasselon, who noted that an official decision on the creation of the TMG sub-brand will be made in the next six to nine months.

About half a dozen people are currently working on the TMG LS460 project in Cologne, which has a Japanese project leader. It is expected to be launched at the Essen motor show in September, 2012.