[Jeonsa]

They already have TRD reserved for the trucks which should probably stay that way. Gazoo Racing now is what TRD use to be.

As far as GR models they should rename the GR86 and add a MR2 later on in my opinion.

 

[Jeonsa]

I think someone at Toyota said they had all the GR cars they want.

that being said, there's no reason that can't change. @Jeonsa hits it on the head pretty well, TRD has moved into the overlanding/off road market, which left a gap for GR to fill.

cars like the Kona N may get more popular, and there's no reason they wouldn't; a performance CUV gives even more for the tuner dad who has to placate a growing family to enjoy than a 4 door hatch.

a GR Corolla Cross could be really neat to see, it could help really start a subcompact crossover power struggle. I'm imagining a HRV Type R, a Crosstrek STI, etc. lol.

I can see that as well, these small little crossovers are just raised wagons anyways. The Kona N shows you can make it fun.

 

[Jeonsa]

Other than the Camry TRD.
View attachment 6518

I actually see those at meets. People are passionate about them 😂

 

[Jeonsa]

I do NOT want this to turn into what amg has become for Mercedes and M has turned into for BMW. The GR badge should be reserved for special vehicles I don’t want GR sport models which is the equivalent to msport bmw (excluding the m340i) and the 43 trim AMGs

They already have those though.

 

[Jeonsa]

A modern MR2 with a G16 would be fantastic. You could snap oversteer faster than ever before!

I’d buy one

 

[Jeonsa]

If I'm being real, it's probably the first time I've ever said it.

Damn 25.

 

[Jeonsa]

I hear you, but I am not so sure. Toyota is still branding all things NASCAR Cup as TRD. However, last year was the first year that the Supra was referred to as the GR Supra.....and last year was the first time GR march started showing up at the tracks. I keep waiting for an announcement for the rebranding, but it never seems to come. Europe is branding GR Trucks, etc...in fact, GR just won Dakar in a #Hilux. It would make sense that GR would take over, but why the wait?

That’s because TRD is now synonymous with trucks and the off road community stateside. In a lot of ways it’s not a bad idea to keep them branded that way for heritage reasons.

Now GR Sport versions of the Corolla and things is something I definitely can see, especially if they try to make them true Si fighters instead of an appearance package.

 

[Jeonsa]

But then why are they badging the NASCAR Cup effort as TRD? Something is holding them back from going all GR....or they are just easing into it. I'm not buying that TRD is exclusively a truck thing at this point. Could be heading that way--many believe this to be the case--but haven't heard anything from Plano yet. Marketing is interesting.

I’m not going to get all into it, because it’s a long story but I’m sure Akio wants to rename everything but TRD name is still more important stateside right now. A lot of people in this forum for example barely understand the division while other countries have had it for awhile.

The TRD truck thing is from a chief engineer during an event, I think during the new Tundra’s release or so. There is a massive fanbase for the TRD name here.

 

[Jeonsa]

Imagine a GR Matrix...
View attachment 6569

Essentially what a GR Corolla Cross would be.

 

[Jeonsa]

It would be nice if the GR badge was more than just marketing. GR should indicate that the car passed all GR metrics specified by the internal Toyota GR Team. At this time, it’s blurry whether or not the GR86 and GR Supra were actually signed off by the GR Team. It’s more like Akio just signed off on them, while letting Subaru and BMW do the heavy lifting.

That kinda is what happened.

 

[Jeonsa]

I thought the Matrix was the Corolla hatchback of its time. Hence Toyota Corolla Matrix. Well lucky you, you're already in the right place if you want a GR Matrix

Thought the Martix was considerably smaller? Maybe I'm not remembering right. I think that would've been more comparable to the GRY than the GRC

The matrix was suppose to be a bigger Corolla for utility and things, since the Corolla got overall bigger the Cross is more of a modern ethos to that. Yaris is a Fit competitor and replaced the Starlet a long time ago.

 

[Jeonsa]

GR is a better acronym than TRD… but TRD has a killer logo and name. Toyota Racing Development is a great name.

I agree. Only thing that sucks is how TRD has the heritage but essentially got put on the backburner. That’s where Akio had to create his little GR team to do his little thing.

 

[Jeonsa]

Ahhhh I see! Google images makes the Cross look so much bigger in comparison. My buddy had one back in HS and I remember it being a fun little car to get around in especially in the snow. We crammed in that mfer lol.

Oh yeah for sure, if you see a Cross in person it’s actually a lot smaller than people think. Kinda like seeing a Kona in person, just a raised hatch

 

[Jeonsa]

I'm shocked but also not shocked Toyota didn't take a stab at Raptor/TRX, especially with the Tundra trailers, but they're fairly small in the truck market afterall. At least they have the Trailhunters which should be cool but like I said in my comment above, I'd love to see a GR Tacoma as a X-Runner successor. We need more street trucks. Put the G16 in an small pickup with RWD and a 6 speed, and I'd eat that up

New taco is “supposedly” getting a hybrid 4 banger. If that system is dialed in a little bit it could be cool.

 

[Jeonsa]

https://jalopnik.com/report-claims-toyota-plans-to-sell-a-sporty-grmn-prius-1850037400

View attachment 6865

Imagine spending 60k on a Rolla. While driving on the freeway trying to do a pull for YouTube…… a Prius destroys you

 

[Jeonsa]

Speaking potential new GR models, the most recent rumor coming out of the infamous Best Car Magazine is a GRMN Prius.

https://jalopnik.com/report-claims-toyota-plans-to-sell-a-sporty-grmn-prius-1850037400

Before you're quick to discount it, just a friendly reminder that Best Car published this in 2020: View attachment 6887

Their Crown predictions were pretty good too

 

[Jeonsa]

I think all new Lotus models going forward will be EV, but it's nice to dream 😌

It’s depressing.

 

[Jeonsa]

Toyota Prius GRMN Performance Version Is Coming: Report

Toyota plans to launch a high-performance version of its Prius hybrid, according to a reliable source in Japan.

www.thedrive.com

In a recent interview the chief engineer did say Toyota is not against a high performance Prius. Lol