The company is developing a new GR GT and Lexus LFA to rival top supercars, while expanding the Century brand into Bentley and Rolls-Royce territory
Since the launch of Toyota’s GR division, the company has hinted at ambitions far beyond hot hatches and tuned coupes. Now, after years of concept teasers, patent filings, and a strong lineup of daily drivers, the high-performance crown jewels have arrived. Joining them is a new ultra-luxury contender from the freshly established Century brand.
Toyota intends to position all of these models squarely alongside the best from Bentley, Porsche, and Ferrari. And they’re not here just to fill out the brochure.
More: Toyota GR GT Looks Like A Batmobile And Hits Like A Supercar
A new report from Nikkei Asia adds weight to Toyota’s intentions, revealing how committed the brand is to establishing both the GR GT and Lexus LFA as serious players in the world of high-performance engineering.
Raising the Bar
Simon Humphries, Toyota’s chief branding officer, called the new models the “sports car apex for both Lexus and GR.” That checks out, considering their unique designs both inside and out.
The GR GT uses the brand’s first-ever all-aluminum chassis and a hybridized V8 that no other car in the lineup enjoys. On the other hand, the Lexus LFA is a dramatic sequel to the original. It eschews any form of combustion motor and instead leverages an all-electric powertrain. Expect it to go on sale sometime in 2028 or perhaps later.
The gas-burning GR GT is already planned for a launch in 2027, with pricing very clearly in supercar territory. Its racing variant, the GR GT3 will likely follow shortly thereafter.
Pushing The Envelope Everywhere
Toyota isn’t content just to break into the supercar conversation. This year also marked its push into two new territories. First, it’s realigning its Century super-luxury brand to better compete with rivals like Rolls-Royce and Bentley. Expect a high-end coupe that takes some DNA from GR GT or LFA in the next few years.
According to Nikkei Asia, pricing hasn’t been officially confirmed, but all three models are expected to land in the same ultra-luxury bracket as the original Lexus LFA, which started from around $375,000 when is was introduced all the way back in 2011.
On top of that, it took its rowdy little GR Yaris to the Nurburgring 24-hour endurance race and came away with a class win. No doubt, cars like the GR GT, GR GT3, and Lexus LFA have to prove that they drive as well as they look, but all signs point to a positive outcome there.
Why push the boundaries like this when Toyota is already a leader in so many other spaces? Chairman Akio Toyoda addressed that directly during a news conference in Japan on Friday. “If we don’t focus on the unique characteristics of our brands, automobiles as industrial products will become more and more commoditized,” he said.
In a sea of brands and cars that sort of blend in, this is a clear declaration that Toyota wants nothing to do with that kind of future.
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