Official: Toyota’s GR GT3 Concept will become the GR GT production car

[Gecko]

A new promotional video shows “GR GT” as the car’s name alongside the Lexus LFA and Toyota 2000GT


After years of speculation, many automotive media and enthusiasts expected the car to be produced as the Lexus LFR


Official details will be released on December 5th



One concept car that started it all, two different trademarks, three possible brands, nearly four years of rampant speculation, hundreds of spy shots, and now we have our answer: Toyota’s GR GT3 Concept will come to production as the GR (Gazoo Racing) GT.
Lexus Enthusiast has followed the development and speculation around this car since it began, and while many hoped it would be produced as the Lexus LFR, a new...

Continue reading...

 

[DarkSpace6383]

I think the Lexus Sport Concept version will be the Lexus version of this, as a more luxurious, higher-end, and maybe equally as powerful version. I also believe that if they don't make a gt3 version of that car it would be a crime. They are clearly doing the Huracan/R8 method here.

 

[Gecko]

I think the Lexus Sport Concept version will be the Lexus version of this, as a more luxurious, higher-end, and maybe equally as powerful version. I also believe that if they don't make a gt3 version of that car it would be a crime. They are clearly doing the Huracan/R8 method here.

The Lexus Sport Concept is electric.

 

[DarkSpace6383]

The Lexus Sport Concept is electric.

The executives at the JMS confirmed that they will be offering multiple powertrain options including one with a V8.


The full video is here.

 

[DarkSpace6383]

I gave the GR GT3 a Lexus twin. You have no idea how badly I want lexus to get back into motorsport properly again.

 

[LexDDas]

It's not that I'm mad it's not a Lexus. I'm mad that it has every aspect of Lexus design (especially some LFA inspiration). Everything I can see in the teaser, looks like a Lexus to me. Maybe, I'm alone here, but I HATE Lexus being owned by Toyota. Lexus has potential to be something great, and Toyota ruins it 99.9% of the time.

 

[Kelvin2020]

It's not that I'm mad it's not a Lexus. I'm mad that it has every aspect of Lexus design (especially some LFA inspiration). Everything I can see in the teaser, looks like a Lexus to me. Maybe, I'm alone here, but I HATE Lexus being owned by Toyota. Lexus has potential to be something great, and Toyota ruins it 99.9% of the time.

You are not. Almost everyone of us Hate Lexus being owned by Toyota!!!

 

[DarkSpace6383]

It's not that I'm mad it's not a Lexus. I'm mad that it has every aspect of Lexus design (especially some LFA inspiration). Everything I can see in the teaser, looks like a Lexus to me. Maybe, I'm alone here, but I HATE Lexus being owned by Toyota. Lexus has potential to be something great, and Toyota ruins it 99.9% of the time.

You are not. Almost everyone of us Hate Lexus being owned by Toyota!!!

I am okay with Lexus being owned by toyota because it has overall caused a net positive. I also believe that this car does not really look like a Lexus (based on the direction is heading) as it does not have the L-shaped DRLs, the rear is completely different, and it is a lot more brawny at the expense of elegance. The lexus version which will come next will be purely beautiful lexus design. While right now I agree lexus is quite dry, I think the future of the brand will be a lot less dull than people make it out to be. Toyota confirmed a more gentle version TTV8 which will be for other applications (besides sportscars). Based on this, I wouldn't rule out it coming to things like a next-generation IS. I feel like with the LS, it is becoming a series of flagship ultraluxury oriented vehicles rather than a single sedan, allowing things like the LX to lean hard into the rugged offroader segment. We should have all kinds of exciting powertrains and good design coming to future lexus models. Don't worry things will get better (thats just my take).

 

[Jonas]

The Lexus Sport Concept is electric.

Will never by a fully electric car, a hybrid or chargeable hybrid ok. But a pure electric sports car? Never. The politically driven electric agenda ruins the car industry, at least for us in Europe. Massive falls in sales, no factories left, production of electric cars to China, net cero crap, suicide. Will keep my petroleum sports car for the next 10 years, no upgrade every 3 or 4 year as before, as well as keeping my hybrid Lexus for the same period. Keep piling up onsold electric cars in large carparks as in China, i don’t care. Start listening to customers and enthusiasts who actually by cars, and can afford them at todays inflated prices.

 

[DarkSpace6383]

Will never by a fully electric car, a hybrid or chargeable hybrid ok. But a pure electric sports car? Never. The politically driven electric agenda ruins the car industry, at least for us in Europe. Massive falls in sales, no factories left, production of electric cars to China, net cero crap, suicide. Will keep my petroleum sports car for the next 10 years, no upgrade every 3 or 4 year as before, as well as keeping my hybrid Lexus for the same period. Keep piling up onsold electric cars in large carparks as in China, i don’t care. Start listening to customers and enthusiasts who actually by cars, and can afford them at todays inflated prices.

The Sport Concept will be a hybrid with the same V8 and architecture as the upcoming GR GT so there is nothing to worry about there. An electric variant will join a few years down the line (based on solid state batteries so its nimble and has good range), but it won't be replacing anything, merely adding to the lineup. Gecko is wrong here. Also since you are in Europe, what do you think Lexus could do to improve it's reputation as a Luxury brand there? It is currently growing, but still nowhere near as big as Mercedes, BMW, Audi, etc.

 

[b.ba]

The Sport Concept will be a hybrid with the same V8 and architecture as the upcoming GR GT so there is nothing to worry about there. An electric variant will join a few years down the line (based on solid state batteries so its nimble and has good range), but it won't be replacing anything, merely adding to the lineup. Gecko is wrong here. Also since you are in Europe, what do you think Lexus could do to improve it's reputation as a Luxury brand there? It is currently growing, but still nowhere near as big as Mercedes, BMW, Audi, etc.

What makes you so confident @Gecko is wrong? Are there sources you are only privy to that have shown clear evidence of so? I'm not attacking you, just curious about where you're hearing all of this

 

[Gecko]

There are some people who still don't realize how Toyota leadership views/manages Lexus now, and it's always fun to hope, so that's all I will say.

There was a long internal battle for the GR GT3 concept to be produced as the Lexus LFR, but the folks lobbying for that (mostly North American Lexus product folks and dealers) lost. GR is Akio's baby and he views it as his legacy, which is why it has now been promoted to an independent brand with the GR GT being the first branded GR product. Akio has never been shy about wanting to build a sporting premium brand like Porsche within Toyota -- he chose for that not to be Lexus/Lexus F, and to now become GR.

Even though he "stepped back" as chairman, Akio Toyoda is still as involved as he's ever been and he won't let a Lexus sports car overshadow his baby, the GR GT, or the GR brand. This is why the GR GT will be hybrid V8, and the LFR is many years off as Toyota continues battery development and BEV engineering. Could that change? Sure, but as of now, there is no "Lexus version" of the GR GT planned. It is Akio's single GR flagship halo sports car, and his crowning achievement. Lexus took the hit and as a result, Lexus dealers will be able to sell it as Toyota's premium retail channel, same with Century.

Notice that the Lexus Sport Concept has no exhaust pipes and the interior photos that were released around the Japan Mobility Show present a digital gauge cluster showing "CHARGE." This was intentional to draw a distinction between the HEV V8 GR GT and BEV Lexus Sport Concept. There also isn't room for Toyota to sell two nearly identical cars in the $225k+ space, and they know that.

For all intents and purposes, the new Toyota brand world order is, in order:
Century - Super Luxury
GR - Premium Sport
Lexus - Premium
Toyota - Mainstream/Premium
Daihatsu - Economy

 

[CRSKTN]

Watch the GR GT3 be a flop, the Century be a flop, and Lexus begin to slide downmarket back into the premium space where it'll fight with crown, cannibalizing sales and fighting other barely-mid tier offerings for peoples attention.

At some point people are going to stop giving a **** about Lexus.
It doesn't matter how many mediocre crossovers you put out one after another, once the people who are used to "modern" unreliable, lower quality lexus vehicles are done with their first experience, there likely won't be another.

They're coasting on the last 2 "generations" of Lexus offerings. This latest set of vehicles on offer is the largest departure yet from what the core values of the brand are. They know it too, the cheap interior got a lot of flack but they're so inefficient it'll take an entire life cycle to undo the damage of the decisions they made and are stuck with.

Remember when MB and BMW were killing it, and they put out a million different models including down market, and smart people were hesitant about how sustainable and efficient this was, and surprise surprise they did a full turnaround and wasted a ton of money and split markets, etc.

Enjoy that new cheap looking steering wheel, they bought a million of em.

I can't see anyone buying an RX, or a GX or LX who doesn't have some reason to stick with the brand, splurging and looking around on the market and thinking "yeah that was the best option lets do that again."

They've barely made any actual luxury car market market share progress over the last decade. It's crazy.

 

[Gor134]

There also isn't room for Toyota to sell two nearly identical cars in the $225k+ space, and they know that.

^^^

 

[CRSKTN]

^^^

They haven't even proven there's room for more than one, given the LM largely sells well only in "wealth inequality so bad this car only makes sense because of modern day slavery" markets.

 

[DarkSpace6383]

There are some people who still don't realize how Toyota leadership views/manages Lexus now, and it's always fun to hope, so that's all I will say.

There was a long internal battle for the GR GT3 concept to be produced as the Lexus LFR, but the folks lobbying for that (mostly North American Lexus product folks and dealers) lost. GR is Akio's baby and he views it as his legacy, which is why it has now been promoted to an independent brand with the GR GT being the first branded GR product. Akio has never been shy about wanting to build a sporting premium brand like Porsche within Toyota -- he chose for that not to be Lexus/Lexus F, and to now become GR.

Even though he "stepped back" as chairman, Akio Toyoda is still as involved as he's ever been and he won't let a Lexus sports car overshadow his baby, the GR GT, or the GR brand. This is why the GR GT will be hybrid V8, and the LFR is many years off as Toyota continues battery development and BEV engineering. Could that change? Sure, but as of now, there is no "Lexus version" of the GR GT planned. It is Akio's single GR flagship halo sports car, and his crowning achievement. Lexus took the hit and as a result, Lexus dealers will be able to sell it as Toyota's premium retail channel, same with Century.

Notice that the Lexus Sport Concept has no exhaust pipes and the interior photos that were released around the Japan Mobility Show present a digital gauge cluster showing "CHARGE." This was intentional to draw a distinction between the HEV V8 GR GT and BEV Lexus Sport Concept. There also isn't room for Toyota to sell two nearly identical cars in the $225k+ space, and they know that.

For all intents and purposes, the new Toyota brand world order is, in order:
Century - Super Luxury
GR - Premium Sport
Lexus - Premium
Toyota - Mainstream/Premium
Daihatsu - Economy

A) Charge indicates a hybrid system
B) Akio is not stupid, he will not release a BEV sportscar because he knows it wont sell
C) It is you vs countless of other sources stating that it has a V8. Kirk Kreifels has reported on it having a V8, and he has a pretty good track record.
D) Tell your statement about 2 nearly identical cars to Audi and Lamborghini. They released nearly identical cars (Huracan and R8) and both were wildly successful. One is more of a GT and the other is a proper supercar.
E) Lexus is still in the Luxury segment, as underscored by their concept cars. Think about it like VW = Toyota, Audi = Lexus, Bentley = Century.

I will just wait and see, but I don't think the brand is as bad off as everyone is making it out to be. Simple as that. There is a lot of resentment towards Akio Toyoda by Lexus enthusiasts due to the prevalence of GR products, but I think that we will just wait and watch to see what happens. We know F isnt dead, I can say that much. There is an F button on the LFR concept (if you look at the steering wheel).

What makes you so confident @Gecko is wrong? Are there sources you are only privy to that have shown clear evidence of so? I'm not attacking you, just curious about where you're hearing all of this

 

[Gor134]

There is an F button on the LFR concept (if you look at the steering wheel).

Lexus Might Replace Its F Sports Cars With Just One Sad Little Button | Carscoops

President Takashi Watanabe suggested that F characteristics might be achieved through software mods on future cars

www.carscoops.com

“The button you saw on the [concept’s] steering wheel sort of represents also a possible evolution forward, where F-Mode is being expressed through software, but we’re still touching upon the sportiness of the brand.

 

[LCLFV]

Kirk Kreifels has reported on it having a V8, and he has a pretty good track record.

Much of Kirk's "track record" comes from copying this site's news page which Gecko manages.

 

[ssun30]

C) It is you vs countless of other sources stating that it has a V8. Kirk Kreifels has reported on it having a V8, and he has a pretty good track record.

Till this day "countless of other sources" have all cited one original Australian outlet that still hasn't released the transcript or video of the interview with "high level Toyota executives".

The V8 rumor is less believable than LC-F because that car existed. BestCar also reported GS-F/LS-F/LF-1 until they were cancelled at the last minute. These are real V8 F models that actually passed design phase and began testing, the prototypes were already there. But now we know where they went. There's no reason to believe they will revive a lineup of V8 products because they would have done that by now.

 

[CRSKTN]

A) Charge indicates a hybrid system
B) Akio is not stupid, he will not release a BEV sportscar because he knows it wont sell
C) It is you vs countless of other sources stating that it has a V8. Kirk Kreifels has reported on it having a V8, and he has a pretty good track record.
D) Tell your statement about 2 nearly identical cars to Audi and Lamborghini. They released nearly identical cars (Huracan and R8) and both were wildly successful. One is more of a GT and the other is a proper supercar.
E) Lexus is still in the Luxury segment, as underscored by their concept cars. Think about it like VW = Toyota, Audi = Lexus, Bentley = Century.

I will just wait and see, but I don't think the brand is as bad off as everyone is making it out to be. Simple as that. There is a lot of resentment towards Akio Toyoda by Lexus enthusiasts due to the prevalence of GR products, but I think that we will just wait and watch to see what happens. We know F isnt dead, I can say that much. There is an F button on the LFR concept (if you look at the steering wheel).

Some of us actually have insider knowledge of stuff. I've shown Gecko stuff that will never see the light of day. People here have shared the same with me.

Toyoda is actively de-centering it.

It's never been a focus or something they're serious about other than low hanging luxury margin fruit, and a test bed for offerings they didn't want to risk having under the Toyota brand.

Kirk is literally just a public figure promoting vehicles and creating entertaining videos. Nobody is giving dudes like that actual insider anything. That's not an insult, it's just reality, the real intent is hidden and held back for a core group of people who operate below the line. Everyone else needs air to breath, and are above it.

He's an extension of their public relations and marketing team. Their entire value proposition is being yes-men for corporates in exchange for access. Just the way it works. Larry Chen, others are no different.

And yes, Akio is stupid. He was born into a position he isn't qualified for and he's propped up by harder working people than himself. If that company had actual visionary leadership do you know what they could actually deliver given their economies of scale?

Akio Toyoda is stupid and people who deify guys like him aren't on the ball either 🤷.