The Toyota GR GTThe V8 hybrid sports car is one step closer to Australia, with the newly installed vice president of sales and marketing confirming he wants it in local showrooms.
Unveiling Team Toyota Motorsports 2026 at the opening round of the Repco Supercars Championship in Sydney – where the GR Supra Supercar makes its racing debut – John Pappas said he has his sights set on the new flagship sports car.
“I would love to see this car come to Australia, it will be incredibly great for the brand,” Mr Pappas told the media Daily Sparkz.
“So there’s nothing to announce today, but we’ll definitely look at it when it becomes available to Australia.”
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Following demonstrations of heavily camouflaged test cars at last year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed in England, the road-going GR GT was unveiled last December alongside a racing model as the brand’s global halo car.
The showroom model, scheduled to launch around 2027, is powered by a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 hybrid powertrain and uses a lightweight aluminum chassis and wind tunnel-tuned bodywork to achieve a top speed of 200 mph (320 km/h).
It is set to be the most powerful Toyota sports car in the brand’s history, following in the footsteps of the V10-powered Lexus LFA, which was produced between 2010 and 2012.
The GR GT and its track-bound counterpart were unveiled on the same day Lexus pulled the wraps off a sports car of its own, this time with a battery-electric powertrain.
The Lexus concept, which appears to be ready for series production, was presented under the name LFA.
Again, this isn’t officially confirmed for Australian showrooms, as the expected end of production of the V8-powered Lexus LC coupe and convertible will leave a gap in the brand’s lineup.
There are also rumors that Toyota will bring the Celica sports car back into showrooms after a Toyota North America executive revealed the plans to the media.
A mid-engined GR Yaris development car was also tested in the expected return of another sports car, the MR2. The automaker has trademarked the names “GR MR2” and “GR MR-S” in Australia, suggesting there is substance behind the speculation.
Given the possible overlap between the three models in the Toyota range, this potentially puts the next GR86 in doubt.
The sports car revival comes as Honda is set to introduce the Prelude coupe – a former Celica competitor – both globally and here. The Australian market launch is scheduled for mid-2026.
MORE: Explore the Toyota showroom
