Toyota flips the script on racing and shifts the focus from selling cars to strengthening a performance identity. The familiar adage “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” doesn’t apply to Toyota’s new multi-million dollar Supercars program.
As the new Toyota GR Supra racing cars prepare to debut this weekend at Sydney Motorsport Park, Toyota Australia’s boss John Pappas clarified what the company aims to achieve with its investment.
Strikingly, a brand that already dominates new-car sales isn’t pursuing this big push simply to boost volume. “Look, for us this isn’t about selling more cars,” Pappas said.
“It’s really about building the GR brand and advancing GR as a whole. It’s about two core ideas I’ve mentioned before: learning to make better cars and cultivating better people.
“These are the two key priorities. It’s not about chasing higher sales.”
GR stands for Gazoo Racing, the personal project-turned-global division founded by Toyota’s president, Akio Toyoda. Gazoo Racing has evolved into Toyota’s worldwide performance and motorsport arm.
In 2026, Gazoo Racing will be involved in more than just Supercars: it will compete in Formula 1, the World Rally Championship, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the Dakar Rally as well.
Toyoda’s passion for racing has resonated across the country, giving Toyota Australia the confidence to commit to Supercars after 25 years of hesitation and failed attempts.
“Akio’s philosophy centers on producing ever-better cars,” Pappas explained. “He talks about that frequently. If you look him up, you’ll see him discussing ever better cars—back when we were navigating this phase.”
He continued, noting that Toyoda’s vision motivates the global team to push the GR brand forward: from 2015 to today,GR has grown to include models like the GR86, GR Supra, GR Yaris, and GR Corolla. “We love watching that growth and the trajectory we’re on, and we intend to keep building on it.”
One intriguing aspect of Toyota’s Supercars entry is the contrast between racing a V8-powered GR Supra and Toyota’s core sales strength—hybrid-powered vehicles such as the RAV4, Camry, and Corolla.
Pappas isn’t pressing Supercars organizers to adopt hybrid systems anytime soon. Instead, he sees Supercars as a platform to promote GR and Toyota’s legacy of performance, even if that runs counter to conventional brand narratives.
“We’ve been in motorsport for 70 years, so it’s a fundamental part of our brand’s DNA from a performance perspective,” he said. “Toyota pursues a multi-pathway approach. The racing learns feed back into all our cars, accelerating development and improving performance across the lineup, including hybrids. That cross-pollination is at the heart of our strategy.”
He added: any decision to add hybrids to the racing program would be up to the Supercars organizers, not Toyota. Would you like to join the discussion and share whether you think racing should prioritize hybrids, or keep it as a pure internal-combustion showcase to honor tradition? Let's hear your take in the comments.
