Toyota’s Upcoming Performance Lineup Could Get an Unexpected Boost from Prius Tech

Car enthusiasts may no longer be laughing at the propulsion technology once reserved for fuel-sippers.

Front side view of a white Toyota GR Corolla in motion, showing the sleek design, black alloy wheel with red brake caliper, and aggressive front grille with GR Corolla badge.

Published September 24, 2025

·

Updated September 24, 2025

Toyota may be incorporating electrification into its GR sports car lineup, but not with full-fledged electric vehicles. Rather, the Japanese auto giant may be working to introduce new performance-bred gas-electric hybrid models.

Our industry colleagues down yonder at Australia’s Drive spoke with the region’s sales and marketing boss, Sean Hanley, who hinted at the prospect. More specifically, he noted that gas-electric propulsion may “100 percent” make its way in a GR car.

The big T has been hard at work, developing and expanding its sports car range under the Gazoo Racing sub-brand. It’s the automaker’s equivalent of what M is to BMW, and AMG is to Mercedes-Benz.

Casting a new enthusiast light on hybrid power

a car on a road — The GR Supra is due for a sixth-gen replacement in the near future.

Toyota’s is known as one of the biggest purveyors of gas-electric hybrid technology. Since the launch and profound success of the Prius in the late 1990s through the 2000s, the technology has since found its way into other models and even its Lexus division.

But Toyota’s hybrid tech is primarily engineered and marketed with the intent of providing fuel-efficiency over fun and sporty performance.

With this new supposed shift, that may all change.

Red sporty sedan driving through a dimly lit tunnel with curved walls and overhead lights, creating a sense of motion and speed. — The GR Corolla is one of GP Motoring’s favorite sports cars as of late.

According to the report, Toyota may be differentiating its hybrid powertrains into marketing subcategories. One would be for “Efficiency,” which would apply to cars like the Prius and Camry Hybrid.

The other would be for “Performance,” which would be reengineered and applied to these supposed future GR hybrid models. Toyota may even slot the hybrid-powered Tundra, Land Cruiser and Sequoia under the “Performance” category as well.

a white toyota pickup truck outdoors — The gas-electric Tundra may be branded a “Performance” hybrid.

Hanley further elaborated that Toyota’s GR engineering team is currently researching and developing those powertrains in motorsports applications around the world.

“We’re doing hybrids now in different racing conditions globally, so you’d never rule that out,” he told Drive in their exclusive interview.

“Hybrids definitely have that capability and capacity [to increase performance], there’s no doubt, and we’ve seen it at Le Mans, we’ve seen it in different race conditions in Japan,” Hanley continued.

A black and red Toyota hybrid race car with the number 8 on the front, driving on a wet race track in rainy conditions with headlights on. The car features sponsor logos including Denso, Fujitsu, Aisin, and Michelin. The background is foggy and the track surface is wet and reflective. — Toyota Gazoo Racing’s GR010 Hybrid race car is currently competing in the 2025 Le Mans series.

“But it’s an interesting question in two parts. One, is it technically possible? Yes, it is. Is it desirable? I think in time it will be.”

However, Toyota wouldn’t be the first automaker to prove that performance hybrids work. Porsche offers the gas-electric Panamera E-Hybrid, Ferrari sells the SF90 and 296 GTB/GTS after spearheading the movement with the LaFerrari and its F1-inspired HY-KERS system, McLaren has the Artura, and Chevrolet sells the Corvette E-Ray.

porsche panamera e hybrid 4s wheel brake caliper — Porsche helped prove hybrid technology can work in mass-market performance cars.

While the performance hybrid-tech found its way into high-dollar exotics, it’s only a matter of time until the tech trickles down to more mainstream sports cars, like Toyota’s GR line.

“The reality is that performance is exhilarating and entertaining, and right now ICE [internal combustion engines] still fill that gap for that market – that’s reality,” Hanley concluded.

Getting rid of its “boring carmaker” stigma

Close-up of a black honeycomb car grille with a "GR" emblem in the center, featuring a black and red background, set against a yellow car body. — The Gazoo Racing division has more sports cars on the horizon.

Toyota was once lambasted as being one of the most boring carmakers around. It was a reputation that stuck after the company axed many of its fun and interesting sports cars in the 2000s amid a huge spike and focus on fuel-efficient and affordable commuter culture.

But that changed quickly in the 2010s after the company introduced its lightweight, affordable rear-wheel-drive GT86 model in partnership with Subaru.

Yellow Toyota GR86 sports car viewed from the rear three-quarter angle, featuring black alloy wheels, quad exhaust tips, a rear spoiler, and tinted windows against a dark gradient background. — The 86 helped revive Toyota’s efforts to make fun cars.

Toyota cemented its huge turnaround when it teamed up with BMW and the revival of the Supra. Around the same time, Akio Toyoda openly admitting his love and passion for speed. All the circumstances aligned, allowing Toyota to commit to making fun cars again.

Since then, the Japanese automaker has dropped a much-improved GR 86 model and a hot GR Corolla, each of which has become a big-time favorite of mine here at the GP Motoring desk.

Red Toyota RAV4 GR Sport SUV with black roof and black trim, shown from the rear three-quarter angle against a gradient dark background. The vehicle features sleek, modern taillights and sporty black alloy wheels. — Toyota’s GR division also expanded with a new “GR Sports” range with the all-new RAV4 PHEV.

Over the past year, Toyota began pushing its GR lineup even more, hinting at the revival of some of its most iconic sports cars, like the MR2 and the Celica. Whether those cars will receive this supposed new performance gas-electric hybrid tech remains to be determined.

Toyota’s arch rival, Honda, is readying the gas-electric hybrid Prelude, which utilizes technology from the current Civic Hybrid.

Want to stay up to date on the latest product news and releases? Add Gear Patrol as a preferred source to ensure our independent journalism makes it to the top of your Google search results.

+ Add on Google

Sports Cars