Wild Toyota GR Prius hot hybrid concept revealed

A wild new Toyota Prius 24h Le Mans Centennial GR Edition has been unwrapped ahead of the 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours race, laying the groundwork for a high-performance production GR version of the fifth-generation hybrid.

Featuring a redesigned front bumper that incorporates brake cooling vents and a pair of prototype racer-inspired quad LED headlights, the 2024 Toyota GR Prius concept gains a more pronounced front splitter, double canards and an ultra-lightweight carbon-fibre bonnet.

Hinting at considerable chassis upgrades, wider front and rear plastic wheel-arches suggest a wider track and broader 235/50 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber.

The side skirts, large fixed rear wing and new diffuser all point towards a motorsport-inspired aero, which also explains the graphics linked to the factory-backed Toyota GR010 hybrid racer that’s competing for the outright win this week at the world-famous French endurance race.

It’s thought the Toyota racer will donate knowhow to the production GR Prius powertrain, but the Japanese auto giant’s performance division has refused to confirm its modifications to the current 2.0-litre plug-in hybrid set-up and whether it will produce significantly more power than the current 164kW.

The standard Prius can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 6.7 seconds.

A focus on the Prius suggests that Toyota’s performance division, Toyota Gazoo Racing, could be developing electrified powertrains for a variety of future fast GR models.

The Toyota Prius was removed from sale in Australia last year, but a high-performance version to sit alongside the new 2023 Toyota GR Corolla could be on the agenda.

Toyota Gazoo Racing, meanwhile, will be hoping to add to its already deeply impressive five-year Le Mans winning streak (2018-2022), despite battling against stronger competition from the likes of Porsche and Peugeot.

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