Toyota’s most senior powertrain engineer has suggested Lexus may offer a unique version of the petrol-electric V8 hybrid powertrain set to be introduced in the 2026 Toyota GR GT sports car when it launches the production version of the Lexus Sport Concept.
Speaking to Australian media at this week’s Tokyo motor show (Japan Mobility Show), Takashi Uehara – powertrain president at Lexus parent company, Toyota – revealed the premium auto brand is developing a twin-turbo V8 hybrid version of the Japanese giant’s new range of modular internal combustion petrol engines.
They start with a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine – slated for models such as the next-generation Toyota Corolla – as well as a 2.0-litre version the automaker showed in the wild mid-engined Yaris GR Concept last January.
Toyota showed off a pair of sports cars at the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed in July – revealing mid-mounted V8-power for the two camouflaged models, with one of the vehicles since confirmed as the new Toyota GR GT sports car, which is set to be unveiled in early December.
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An audio track of the Toyota V8 was released by the automaker in October when it announced the launch timing of its new performance flagship.
The other sports car is tipped to be the new Lexus LFR, the long-awaited successor for the V10-powered Lexus LFA special-edition supercar – with the Sport Concept also likely to preview a potential replacement for the outgoing LC Coupe powered by a 5.0-litre V8.
When asked if Lexus customers can also expect V8 power in future models, the engineer replied: “You can expect – you see the Lexus new sports car? That is that…,” said Takashi-san, referring to the Sport Concept shown in Tokyo.
Toyota’s global powertrain boss went on to explain the V8 engine is “widely speaking” related the 2.0-litre turbo-four in the Yaris GR Concept and will be a twin-turbo. While he did not confirm the capacity, this suggests it will be a 4.0-litre engine, as widely expected.
“We have several partitions with the engines. For example, I don’t say for the 1.5-litre we have only a sporty one… so for both sizes of engines, we have several partitions if necessary.
“So maybe we could have a V8 with a more gentle [character] or we could have a more muscular, heavy-duty version.”
This almost certainly means two versions of the new V8 – one for Lexus and one for Toyota – are on the cards.
Takashi-san explained the V8’s appeal lies in “the best point of performance and also we have to care about the design of combustion [engines], but also if we say fast, maximum power is required.
“To think of the maximum power, we have to design the maximum rpm [revs per minute], and we have to care about the design of the combustion chamber – then we select V8,” he explained.
The engine won’t need to be a plug-in hybrid to pass emissions regulations around the world – including Australia’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) – like other high-performance models such as the BMW M5 and Lamborghini Temerario.
The Lamborghini, introduced earlier this year, is a high-rpm engine – as Takashi-san described the Lexus/Toyota V8 – and can spin to 10,000rpm.
The Lexus Sport Concept was unveiled at the Monterey Car Week in the US in August 2025, when only its exterior was revealed.
The show car’s cabin was revealed in Tokyo yesterday, comprising a steering yoke in place of a conventional steering wheel, and a digital driver’s interface including a battery charge meter – confirming it has an electrified powertrain.
It also featured minor exterior styling changes which Lexus said were designed to improve aerodynamics.
More details of the Lexus Sport Concept are expected after the unveiling of the Toyota GR GT Concept, which is scheduled for 11:00am Tokyo time on December 5, 2025.