Toyota Reportedly Developing New Hybrid Engine for GR Models

Toyota is reportedly building a new hybrid powertrain for its future GR models to bypass strict emissions standards.

It seems like no one is escaping the electrification bandwagon, and its latest ‘victim’ comes in the form of a beloved motorsport icon, the Toyota Gazoo Racing (GR). That is because Toyota is reportedly developing a new hybrid powertrain setup for future GR models, giving its sportscar lineup a second life in this era of ever-stringent emissions standards.

According to Autocar UK, this new hybrid setup will be built around Toyota’s new 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbocharged engine, which is still under development as of writing. This is the same engine shown on the mid-engined GR Yaris M-Concept prototype displayed at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2025 earlier this year.

The new engine can support both plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and mild hybrid (MHEV) setups, while featuring a shorter piston stroke than Toyota’s current crop of engines to make it lighter and more compact. Toyota GR engineer Hiroyuki Yamada pointed out that this is important to ensure that the GR cars won’t suffer much weight penalty once the hybrid system is installed to this engine.

The GR engineer also told Autocar UK that the key reason Toyota is developing this new hybrid system is because of the strict emissions standards, while expressing interest in using the setup in motorsport activities.

“We can use hybrids for future cars [which use this engine]. We will use it in our motorsport activities in the future, because of emissions. This technology we create will apply to both motorsport and passenger [car] engines. In the future, we want a more fuel-efficient engine [for GR cars],” he added.

Predictably, no technical details were shared by the automaker for now, but reports suggest that it could potentially deliver a total system output of around 400 HP, at least in the GR road cars application.

The potential of a new turbo hybrid powertrain from Toyota does provide a brighter future for its GR sportscar lineup, especially in this dawn of electromobility. More importantly, the new hybrid system also allows Toyota to sell more of their GR models in regions with strict emissions regulations like Europe, with models like the GR Yaris hot-hatch only able to be sold in limited quantities due to stringent emissions laws.

Plans to hybridise Toyota’s GR lineup has been long mooted by the automaker, with its chief technology officer Hiroki Nakajima previously telling Autocar UK that hybrid systems are “always a good solution for environmental cars, not just for passenger cars but for sporty cars as well.”