- Toyota currently sells cars under the Toyota and Lexus names in the U.S., but is planning a higher-end Century brand to take on Rolls-Royce
- A new report says an ultra-high-performance brand, GR, could also be in the works
Toyota has kept things simple in the U.S. The company markets mainstream cars under its Toyota brand, and luxury cars under the Lexus name.
For now. A new report says two more brands could emerge in the coming years.
The company plans to launch a Century ultra-luxury brand above Lexus, competing in the rarified air where Bentley and Rolls-Royce operate.
Toyota may also launch a high-performance brand of its own called GR.
Industry publication Automotive News reports, “That brand appears likely to launch with a supercar called the GR GT, the spiritual successor to the Lexus LFA.”
The LFA was a limited-edition Lexus supercar meant to compete with Ferrari and Lamborghini products. Toyota never intended it to be a common sight. The company built just 500 copies worldwide in its final production year.
Some automakers sell cars under many names. General Motors, for instance, currently sells vehicles under the Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC monikers. In the 21st century, it has also marketed cars under the Hummer, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Saab, and Saturn brands, and toyed with spinning off the Camaro and Escalade as separate brands.
GR Exists in Toyota Dealerships Today
- Today, Toyota markets sportier editions of some cars under the GR moniker
- It’s the passion project of chairman Akio Toyoda, a respected semi-pro racing driver
If you follow Toyota, the GR name is familiar to you. Toyota markets high-performance versions of several cars under the GR nameplate. It’s short for Gazoo Racing, Toyota’s racing team.
The Toyota Corolla, for instance, is a reliable and reasonably priced compact car. The GR Corolla is to the Corolla what the Carolina Reaper is to the bell pepper. With a turbocharged 3-cylinder engine making 300 horsepower and putting it down through all four wheels. The GR Corolla is a track toy built from one of the world’s most practical cars, an enthusiast’s specialty model that automotive engineers dream about creating but rarely get the budget to do so.
The GR Supra stands as the highest-performing car currently built under the GR name.
However, Automotive News reports that Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda (the family simplified the spelling of its name for Westerners when it launched the company) intends to spin GR off as a brand of its own.
We’ve seen the GR GT before – it appeared as a show car as far back as 2022. Now, the company has filed to trademark GR as a brand name in the U.S., and launched a teaser website counting down to December 5.
That leaves many questions, including whether GR vehicles would get stand-alone dealerships or a carved-out section within Toyota or Lexus stores.
