Toyota Confirms It Wants to Build a New Supercar

Toyota has confirmed it’s interested in building a hybrid supercar that pulls inspiration from its TS050 LMP1 racecar.

Last week the automaker teased the GR Super Sports Concept – a wild-looking concept car that clearly pulls inspiration from the LMP1-H cars Toyota has been racing since 2012. Without context, it wasn’t clear what Toyota’s intentions were with the concept, nor how serious they were about building it – but we now have our answer.

Toyota today confirmed it would return to the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2018 with two TS050 LMP1-H racecars. Company president Akio Toyoda used the announcement to address the future of Toyota’s Gazoo performance division, and let one very interesting bit of info drop.

“This year, I went to Le Mans for the first time and heard people cheering for Toyota,” he said. “I also heard many people saying that they would like to see Toyota come out with a hybrid sports car like our cars in the race (the TS050).”

“I, too, would like us to produce just such a car, and I think it would be one that would help make cars fun for the next 100 years.”

SEE ALSO: Toyota’s new Concept Looks Like a Road Going Le Mans Prototype Racer

Those statements are particularly interesting in light of the automaker showing the GR Super Sports Concept. It seems the LMP1-inspired concept car isn’t just a design study or a showpiece to drum-up hype at an auto show. It’s representative of a product Toyota actually wants to build, and it sounds like it’s been given the green light from Akio Toyoda himself.

“More than 100 years have passed since the birth of the automobile,” Toyoda said. “As we approach times of tremendous change represented by electrification, automation and other developments, I am strongly determined to make sure that cars will be fun for the next 100 years.”

The GR Super Sports is expected to make its debut at the 2018 Tokyo Auto Salon on January 12, at which point we should have more info on it and Toyota’s hybrid supercar ambitions.

Discuss this story on our Toyota forum.