Toyota is taking a strategic step by repositioning GAZOO Racing as a dedicated performance brand within the Toyota group. Having achieved numerous successes in world-class motorsport championships and developed iconic road cars like the GR Yaris, GR Supra, and GR86, the division—previously known as TOYOTA GAZOO Racing—will now operate under the name GAZOO Racing in its new era.
With a philosophy centered on developing cars born from motorsport to build “ever-better cars,” GAZOO Racing’s roots trace back to 2007. It began when then-Vice President Akio Toyoda and a small group of colleagues competed in the Nürburgring 24 Hours. After years of diverse racing activities, Toyota consolidated its internal motorsport branches (TOYOTA Racing, LEXUS Racing, and GAZOO Racing) under the single banner of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing in 2015.
The goal of producing “ever-better cars” has been a continuous journey shaped by the rigors of competition. To push this vision further, Akio Toyoda made the historic decision to return Toyota to the World Rally Championship (WRC). This return to WRC, where cars are based on mass-production models, marked a fundamental shift in Toyota‘s motorsport philosophy.
Before this move, Toyota developed racing cars based on existing production vehicles. The WRC return reversed this logic: first, a winning race car was developed, and then that racing DNA was transferred into a road car. The first and most powerful example of this philosophy was the GR Yaris, introduced in 2020. Developed entirely in-house, the GR Yaris became the concrete symbol of producing cars fed directly by motorsport.
GAZOO Racing’s next ambition was to develop the ultimate sports car through continuous evolution. This vision culminated in the 2025 debut of the GR GT and GR GT3. After nearly 20 years since the journey began with Team GAZOO in 2007, the brand remains committed to nurturing new talent and engineering better cars.
