The Toyota GR GT supercar has been confirmed to make its world debut on December 5, ahead of its global public premiere at the Tokyo Auto Salon in January, partially ending speculation around whether the all-new high-performance coupe would be launched under the Lexus or Toyota brands.
Chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), Akio Toyoda, confirmed the timing of the new supercar – as well as its Toyota branding – alongside an audio clip of the new flagship model’s V8 hybrid powertrain via a Toyota Times livestream.
And the Toyota Gazoo Racing (GR) website has launched a countdown clock to 11:00am Tokyo time on December 5.
The livestream came after the Japanese auto giant teased the new hero model with a billboard at Fuji Speedway, the famous Toyota-owned racing circuit southeast of Tokyo.
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Pictured above, it revealed part of the new supercar’s front-end and its clearly visible GR badge, which signifies the motorsport and performance arm of Toyota and is not seen on Lexus models.
The teaser shot was posted on the billboard alongside an image of the limited-edition, V10-powered Lexus LFA supercar made between 2010-2012, and the 1967-1970 Toyota 2000GT coupe, along with the provocative line, “The soul lives on”.
Yet speculation continues that the vehicle, which has been spied several times undergoing development testing, would be named the 2026 Lexus LFR and released as a long-awaited successor to the Ferrari-rivalling LFA, with some US publications suggesting it may still wear Lexus badges there.
Mr Toyoda said on the Toyota Times podcast that he had named the vehicle personally, and the ‘Toyota GR GT’ name has been trademarked in several countries including Australia.
The supercar could end up wearing both Toyota and Lexus badges, but with different design and performance attributes, and it’s even possible the Lexus LFR will be a track-only version of the Toyota GR GT road car.
A pair of heavily camouflaged, similarly proportioned supercars were shown at the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed in July.
At the British automotive extravaganza, the two slightly different vehicles were housed in a display under ‘Toyota GT Concept’ signage.
One was rumoured to be a motorsport-only version for international GT3 sports car racing, and the other a street-legal production model.
The company said both cars were “brand agnostic” despite wearing Toyota branding at the Goodwood event, where they were driven up the famous hill climb to the unmistakable sound of a V8 exhaust note.
In August – post-Goodwood – the Lexus Sport Concept was shown at Monterey Car Week in the California, with suggestions it previewed a potential successor to the Lexus LC coupe and convertible, or potentially the LFR.
A Lexus prototype suspected to be the 2026 LFR was also spied lapping the famous Nürburgring circuit in Germany and the Spa-Francorchamps track in Belgium last year.
While it’s yet to be confirmed, the all-new Japanese supercar is expected to pack a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 with electric assistance, delivering a total power output of more than 660kW.