This is conjecture, but for packaging, performance, and marketing reasons, game-changing solid-state batteries debuting in the Lexus flagship seems to make a lot of sense. And could be the reason the production debut of the LFA is a long way off. Watch this space to see if our guess is right.
Fiendish Electromechanical Complexity Is a Future-Focused Flex
Look at the GR GT powertrain cutaway from front to back and revel in its fiendish complexity. Starting with an all-aluminum engine and forged internals (pistons, rods, and cross-plane crankshaft), output is boosted by twin turbochargers resting the valley of the 90-degree cylinder banks to a claimed 641 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque. All of that output is sent via a driveshaft enclosed in a carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) “torque tube” to a bell housing at the back of the vehicle that contain the hybrid system’s electric motor and eight-speed transmission.
The sharply cut and polished shafts and gearsets in the cutaway model look like something out of a watchmaker’s fever dream, especially at the rear of the transmission, where a conical set of gears sends the hybridized horsepower forward to a mechanical LSD that portions output to the rear wheels via half shafts. Why the complicated U-turn? The powertrain engineers claim it reduces the overall length of the powertrain, which is most certainly does, but we also think Akio is making a bigger statement.
In the last 15 years, we’ve seen the rise of electric vehicles with vastly simplified powertrains. We’ve also seen the death of the V-8 and its recent revival, particularly in America, thanks to equally dramatic U-turns in consumer sentiment and government policies. While other automakers scrambled to cover their ICE, EV and hybrid bases, Toyota has remained vocal about its hybrid-first strategy, with only a handful of EV models. With the GR GT, GR GT3, and second-gen LFA built on an all-new all-aluminum spaceframe (a first for Toyota) and the GR twins utilizing that fiendishly complicated transaxle powertrain, Akio is not only flexing Toyota’s manufacturing might, but showing off high-performance vehicles utilizing three different-powertrain technologies.
Bigger Picture: Tech Transfer and Motorsports Are the Keys to Toyota’s Future
So, Akio and Team Toyota are not throwing down one gauntlet, but three. And if you believe the official Toyota statement on the launch of the grand touring triplets, there are other, much larger forces at play. Here are phrases pulled from the press release:
The GR GT, GR GT3, and Lexus LFA Concept were born from the conviction of Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) Chairman Akio Toyoda, a.k.a. Master Driver Morizo, that certain car-making skills must be preserved and passed on to the next generation. Together, the three models symbolize “Toyota’s Shikinen Sengu.”
Shikinen Sengu is a traditional Japanese shrine ritual during which a Shinto shrine’s core structures and elements are rebuilt every few decades. The ritual involves not only rebuilding the shrine itself but also recrafting its furnishings and ceremonial garments housed within. As such, it serves as a platform for artisans of a wide range of traditional Japanese crafts—including architecture, blacksmithing, and weaving—to pass on their skills to the next generation.
The three unveiled models are being positioned as TMC’s flagship sports cars, in the footsteps of the Toyota 2000GT and Lexus LFA. They embody “Toyota’s Shikinen Sengu” through the making of sports cars by preserving and passing on to the next generation fundamental car-making skills and incorporating new technologies.
By launching an all new high-performance brand in GR, and tasking engineers across the company to build two flagship sports cars and one bonkers race car, each with a unique powertrain, Akio is not merely lighting hundreds of millions of dollars on fire, he’s giving the next generation of Toyota engineers, project managers, and executives the highest-profile opportunities to build world-class vehicles and race them at the highest levels.
Speaking of which, it’s clear motorsports will also play a huge role in the future of Toyota. Just before the GR GT and GR T3 race car were unveiled, Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) announced it would become the title sponsor of the Haas Formula 1 team, which now will go by TGR HAAS Formula 1. Toyota has long and rich history in across all major racing disciplines, such as Formula 1, World Rally, 24 Hours of Le Mans, NASCAR, NHRA, and Super GT. Audi, Cadillac, and Ford, are all entering F1 next year in some capacity, as well.
Conspicuously absent from the global motorsports arena? The rising Chinese car companies. While their “new energy vehicles” are taking market share away from big OEMs in major markets around the world, they look a little one note without brand-burnishing sports cars that race at the highest levels.
In a couple of years, if you see a GR GT3 racing at the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring, a GR GT drawing crowds at your local cars and coffee, and maybe even a due date for the new Lexus EV flagship, you’ll know Akio’s plan to reinforce the depth and breadth of Toyota’s automaking might and project the strength and legacy of its brands into the future is well underway.