■ Tokyo Auto Salon 2024 TGR and Lexus vehicles and other exhibited items

1. Evolved GR Yaris

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) held the world premiere today of its evolved GR Yaris at Tokyo Auto Salon 2024. Sales in Japan of the new GR Yaris are scheduled to start this spring through Toyota vehicle dealers nationwide.

As a symbol of TGR car-making, the GR Yaris was born through making ever-better motorsports-bred cars. TGR has continued to compete in various motorsports^＊2 using the GR Yaris since the model’s launch in September 2020. That is because problems that occur in the extreme environments of rallies and other races provide opportunities to evolve the GR Yaris into an ever-better car. Under the slogan of “Thanks for breaking it” directed at the drivers who pushed the vehicle to its limits, TGR honed the GR Yaris through constant enhancements, thoroughly pursuing the cause of problems by analyzing driving data, reviewing steering feel, and examining what kind of scratches and dirt were on broken parts.

Also, based on Morizo’s desire to provide the fun of driving to as many people as possible and to expand the base of motorsports, TGR has developed the 8-speed GAZOO Racing Direct Automatic Transmission to enable the utmost enjoyment of a 1.6-liter inline 3-cylinder turbo engine mated to a 4WD drivetrain, which forms the essence of the GR Yaris. The result is a car that is designed so that a wide range of drivers can enjoy sporty driving and motorsports to the fullest.

TGR’s journey of making ever-better motorsports-bred cars is without end. TGR intends to continue competing in races using the GR Yaris and evolving it with input from various drivers.

For more information on the evolved GR Yaris, please see the following:
https://global.toyota/en/newsroom/toyota/40287969.html

2. RZ450e Special Edition “F SPORT Performance”

Lexus plans to launch a special-edition version of the battery electric vehicle (BEV)-dedicated RZ 450e through a purchasing lottery limited to 100 units^＊3 only available in Japan. Lottery applications for the RZ 450e Special Edition “F SPORT Performance” are to be accepted by Lexus dealers across Japan starting from January 12 to February 19, 2024, with sales negotiations commencing after winners are contacted on or after February 22 by the dealer outlets to which they applied.

Developed as Lexus’ first BEV-dedicated model, the RZ embodies through electrification technology Lexus-unique driving signature and styling, marking the starting point of Lexus’ transformation into a BEV brand. Since the launch of the all-wheel-drive RZ 450e in March 2023, and with the introduction of the front-wheel-drive RZ 300e in November 2023, Lexus has been expanding its BEV lineup to meet diverse customer needs.

The RZ 450e Special Edition “F SPORT Performance”―based on the RZ SPORT CONCEPT exhibited at the Tokyo Auto Salon in January of 2023, seeking the driving pleasure and customization that only a BEV can offer―is a special-edition BEV created to contribute to the realization of a carbon-neutral society and to pursue the fun of driving. During development, Lexus teamed with air racing pilot Yoshihide Muroya and racing driver Masahiro Sasaki to hone the model’s aerodynamics and driving performance and to pursue a design rooted in function.

For more information on the RZ450e “F SPORT Performance”, please see the following:
https://global.toyota/jp/newsroom/lexus/40271388.html(in Japanese)

3. LBX MORIZO RR CONCEPT

The LBX MORIZO RR CONCEPT is based on the new Lexus LBX, a segment-defying compact vehicle that redefined the conventional notion of luxury cars when it went on sale in November 2023. It is equipped with Lexus’ first 1.6-liter, inline 3-cylinder engine with intercooler and turbo (the G16E-GTS) and is a concept model with further-honed basic vehicle elements that enable the driver to interact with the car and pursue driving fun. Working with Chairman Akio Toyoda, otherwise known as both Morizo and master driver, the aim was to retain the high-quality driving performance and sophisticated design that is unique to Lexus, while creating a high-performance model that would allow the driver to enjoy interacting with the car, smile spontaneously, and experience a sense of extraordinary exhilaration.

Its turbocharged engine and full-time AWD deliver heart-thumping torque-filled power that can be fully brought to the fore thanks to wide-ranging exclusive developments that covered the vehicle’s packaging, body, suspension, tires, AWD control, and Direct Shift 8AT automatic transmission. Also, using technology cultivated through air racing, the bumpers were shaped to achieve a high level of aerodynamic performance and styling that evokes the essence of pure driving performance.

In keeping with the theme of the TGR and Lexus exhibit, the LBX MORIZO RR CONCEPT underwent customization unique to Morizo’s beloved car by way of applying Morizo’s signature color of yellow to the plated molding of the front “Unified Spindle”, brake calipers, and seatbelts, resulting in a car that embodies casual luxury and that Morizo himself could enjoy on weekends as a trusted partner, like his favorite pair of comfortable, well-worn sneakers.

Outline of LBX MORIZO RR CONCEPT

4. AE86 BEV Concept (battery electric vehicle)

Toyota aims to provide its customers with more choices by offering a full lineup of products to achieve carbon neutrality. Because time is needed before all new cars can be carbon neutral, it is crucial for the future to simultaneously promote the carbon neutralization of not only new cars but also cars already being driven by Toyota’s customers. Therefore, as a proposal for making beloved cars carbon neutral, the AE86 BEV Concept debuted at Tokyo Auto Salon 2023. The concept vehicle has evolved over the past year and will go up against drifting driver Keiichi Tsuchiya’s AE86 Super Mame-go in a gymkhana showdown at the exhibit’s outdoor venue.

The AE86 BEV Concept has obtained a license plate for use on public roads, and a “Vintage Club by KINTO”^＊4 project for providing customers with an opportunity to drive the vehicle is planned for around this spring. Details are to be announced separately by KINTO.

6. GR Heritage Parts

The GR Heritage Parts Project is an initiative to reissue discontinued service parts and sell them anew as genuine parts to meet customers’ desires to keep on driving their beloved cars full of memories. In 2024, TGR plans to launch 18 items for five models, including rear combination lamps for the AE86, which many customers have requested.

Also, the GR Heritage Project has started publishing complete parts lists for items currently supplied for subject vehicle models. As a first step, lists of all currently supplied parts for the Japanese-market 2000GT, AE86 , 70 Supra, and 80 Supra are now available on the GR Heritage Parts website. For details, please see the following:
https://toyotagazooracing.com/gr/heritage/

■ Information about the exhibited vehicles and the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing exhibition booth is to be posted on the following TOYOTA GAZOO Racing website as it becomes available:
https://toyotagazooracing.com/eventexhibition/tokyoautosalon/

＊1 A customized car event; January 12: industry and press invitation day, January 13 and 14: general public days)

＊2 Motorsports participated in include the Super Taikyu Series, Japanese Rally Championship, and FIA World Rally Championship.

＊3 In addition to the 100 units that are to be sold by purchasing lottery, units produced to serve as test-drive or display vehicles or to fulfill other promotional roles might also be sold.

＊4 An “old car community” operated by KINTO Co., Ltd., a company that offers a variety of mobility services, such as the “KINTO ONE” car subscription service and the “KINTO FACTORY” service, which evolves the software and hardware functions and items of already-sold Toyota and Lexus vehicles to the latest state. For more information, please see the following:
https://vintage.kinto-jp.com/ (in Japanese)

＊5 Purchasing through GR Garage locations is recommended.