Most people head down to their local Toyota dealer to pick up a reliable, comfortable, and efficient vehicle, be it a commuter car, pickup truck, or SUV. But not everything in Toyota’s lineup is so practical, of course. The Toyota Gazoo Racing division is well known among enthusiasts for fun-to-drive performance models that fit right in on the race track. The 2024 lineup consists of the long-running GR 86, the beloved GR Supra, and the relative newcomer: the GR Corolla, a hot hatch if there ever was one.
But what will the lineup look like in 2025 and beyond? Will these models stick around, will they get discontinued in favor of something brand-new, or will they be transformed extensively to meet the needs of future drivers (not to mention future regulations in places like California and Europe)? There’s a lot of buzz lately regarding Gazoo models, and while we can’t confirm most of it yet, we can bring it all together into one place and analyze it. So, let’s dive head-first into the rumor mill and speculate about what the future might hold for Toyota supercars.
Is the GR 86 or Supra Getting a New Variant?
While some predict that the GR 86 and Supra will be saying goodbye by the 2025 or 2026 model year, others think that they’ll be entering new generations or getting new variants. One theory is that the GR 86 will go hybrid, pairing the 1.6L turbocharged three-cylinder engine currently under the hood of the GR Corolla with an electric motor to deliver similar power with better fuel economy. This feels like a bit of a stretch if you look at the Gazoo Racing lineup, but zoom out to Toyota more generally, and it makes a lot of sense. Toyota has been adding hybrid options to its lineup for years, and the Camry even went full hybrid for its latest generation.
Muddying the waters, however, is the fact that rumors surrounding the Supra are headed in the opposite direction. Car and Driver spotted a Supra running laps at Germany’s Nürburgring Nordschleife that has track-focused add-ons and possibly a more powerful (and less efficient) engine sourced from BMW under the hood. This suggests that Toyota might be thinking of adding a more extreme Supra to the lineup, going all-in on traditional power rather than electrifying. Of course, it is possible that both rumors are true. Toyota might well decide to take the GR 86 and Supra in opposite directions in order to cover all of their bases. On the other hand, it might decide to move away from both nameplates altogether.
Is the GR 86 or Supra Getting Discontinued?
The rumors about the GR 86 and Supra getting discontinued in the near future are just that: rumors. At least for now. But where are the rumors coming from? There are a few possible answers to that. One is the fact that the Supra and the GR 86 are getting special editions for the 2024 model year. This is far from a clear sign since cars like this get special editions all the time in an attempt to attract collectors, but automakers will sometimes come out with a special edition near the end of a model’s run to give it a proper sendoff. For example, Stellantis has been sending multiple trims powered by HEMI V8 engines into the sunset with “Final Edition” variants.
Turning our gaze across the Atlantic, we can take a look at something a little more concrete: the GR 86 will definitely disappear from the European market after the 2024 model year. This isn’t old news by any stretch. When Toyota’s Europe Newsroom announced the new generation of the GR 86 back in 2022, they were already letting customers know that it was “an exclusive model — sales for Europe limited to just two years.” The reason for this is that stricter safety protocols were scheduled to go into effect on a certain date, which the GR 86 wouldn’t be able to comply with without extensive re-engineering. These safety standards don’t apply to the US, of course, but it’s not completely unreasonable to think that Toyota might consider phasing the model out and replacing it with something that it could sell to both the American and European markets.
If either or both of these models were to be discontinued, that wouldn’t necessarily mean that the nameplates would be gone forever. The Supra was actually discontinued back in 2002, only to make a reappearance almost two decades later with the debut of the 2020 model year. So, if you don’t want to say goodbye to these models, don’t panic. There’s no definitive news as of now about them being discontinued in the US, and even if the nebulous rumors do end up solidifying into facts in the next few years, it still might not mean they’re gone forever. Nevertheless, the mere idea that these nameplates might be going by the wayside invites the question: what would take their place?
What Is the GR GT?
Toyota made a big splash at the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon when it unveiled the GR GT3 concept card. We also don’t have many details on the technical specs, though a visible exhaust port strongly suggests that it’s not an all-electric model. Looking more like something out of a spy thriller than the Supra or GR 86, it’s clear that this model would need a lot of modification if it were destined for mass production. Still, it might hint at what’s coming next for Gazoo Racing. Rumor has it that Toyota has filed a patent for a logo that simply says “GR GT,” which has led some to believe that a toned-down version of this concept car might be hitting the market in the years to come. Others speculate that it will inspire a model over at Lexus, Toyota’s luxury division, instead. Either way, there’s a strong chance that the model would be a hybrid, with an electric motor or two backing up a strong gas-powered engine.
Will the FT-Se Electrify Gazoo Racing?
Another concept car wearing the GR branding was shown to the world at the Tokyo Auto Show in 2023. The FT-Se (Future Toyota Sports electric) is a low-riding coupe that is getting plenty of buzz for its cool exterior design and revolutionary EV platform. Toyota has been working on an ultra-compact battery architecture that allows EVs to be smaller and more lightweight, two things that can make a big difference when designing a sports car. There’s also a chance that Toyota will offer a “manual” version of this vehicle using a newly developed “virtual stick shift” that gives enthusiasts the extra control they crave. While this is just a concept for now, it certainly shows that Toyota is taking a serious look at how to create a zero-emissions performance car that’s up to their standards.
No Shortage of Ideas
Looking at the rumors, concept models, and even the current Toyota lineup, one thing is certain: there’s no shortage of ideas over at the Gazoo Racing division. They’re looking at just about everything: partnerships with other brands and purely Toyota-engineered vehicles, sleek coupes and practical hatchbacks, gas engines, hybrids, and EVs. Putting that all together, it seems pretty likely that Toyota’s GR lineup will be exciting to watch over the next few years. Testing out electric concepts could involve some trial and error, so we could see some models that are just a flash in the pan and others that stand the test of time. If the GR 86 and Supra are going to stick around, they’re going to have a lot of competition. It remains to be seen which models will be left standing when the dust clears.
