Toyota’s Next GR Sports Car Could Be Fully Developed In-House

The automaker hints at a future where its performance cars no longer rely on outside partners.

Toyota appears ready to take complete control over its next sports car development, moving away from past collaborations with BMW for the Supra and Subaru for the GR86. According to Toyota Australia’s marketing chief Sean Hanley, the company’s Gazoo Racing (GR) division has matured enough to handle its upcoming performance models entirely in-house. This could mark a major shift for Toyota’s sports car lineup, emphasizing homegrown engineering and design.

GR Celica and MR2 Could Lead the Charge
Rumors suggest that Toyota’s next sports cars might include revivals of the Celica and MR2, both potentially standalone GR models without outside engineering influence. The GR Corolla and GR Yaris are already examples of Toyota’s capability to create independent performance vehicles, and the upcoming models could follow in that same GR-only philosophy.

Lessons Learned From Collaborations
Hanley emphasized that partnerships with BMW and Subaru were invaluable learning experiences for the GR team. While collaborations provided insight into advanced performance engineering, Toyota is now confident enough to apply those lessons independently, aiming to produce cars that reflect pure GR DNA. BMW’s experience in crafting sporty, high-performance vehicles gave Toyota technical expertise and design benchmarks, which could influence the next generation of GR sports cars.

Potential Revival of the Supra
Speculation points to the next big GR project being a new Supra, especially since the current MKV Supra will be discontinued this year. Toyota has confirmed it will not continue co-developing the Supra with BMW, opening the door for a fully in-house GR Supra or another high-performance model that embodies Toyota’s independent sports car vision.

Looking Ahead for Toyota Performance Fans
With the GR division gaining autonomy, Toyota enthusiasts can expect performance vehicles designed entirely by the brand, offering a more cohesive and authentic driving experience. While details remain scarce, the move underscores Toyota’s commitment to innovating sports cars for the modern era, blending engineering independence with technological sophistication and GR’s racing-inspired DNA.