What Took Them So Long: Toyota Wants To Build the Hot SUV People Have Been Waiting

5 months, 3 weeks ago - 25 May 2024, autoevolution

Toyota has pretty much everything in its lineup. All body styles, going from minis to body-on-frame SUVs and pickup trucks, in all sorts of grades and outputs. But all this time, it has been missing a performance SUV. The automaker seems ready to finally roll it out.

It will be the responsibility of the Toyota Gazoo Racing division to come up with a hot high-rider that will join the brand's sports lineup of hot hatches and coupes. The president of the tuning and motorsport division, Tomoya Takahashi, disclosed plans for an SUV with more power than any other in Toyota's current portfolio.

The GR-branded fully-fledged SUV should land sometime in the coming years and will be the first one to bear the label. "In the future, from my point of view, we need a GR SUV. Some people can only use SUVs because they have a family or need space. […] Maybe an SUV is needed," Takahashi said in a conversation with the Australian media.

So, we have a first hint. Whichever model the GR division will go for, it will have to be a spacious one, which leaves modest such as the Yaris Cross, Corolla Cross, or bZ4X out of the race.

He explained, however, that the company will have to prioritize since the GR division only has limited capacity to develop new products.

In the United States, the only GR models are the GR Corolla, the GR86, and the GR Supra. While the performance-focused Corolla starts at $36,500, customers can buy the GR86 for $29,300. The BMW-powered Supra is the most expensive of the GR lineup, starting at $46,440.

Even though Toyota has been enhancing its crossover and SUV portfolio, never has it offered a GR model of the kind. We have yet to see which one will be the opening act. The American customers get the Highlander and Grand Highlander, RAV4, Land Cruiser, and the Sequoia, alongside the Corolla Cross and the electric bZ4X and the newly introduced 4Runner.

Elsewhere, the Japanese carmaker also has the Yaris Cross and the C-HR crossovers. So, we have yet to see which one will receive the magic touch of the GR division. The label should bring a more aggressive styling and extra oomph to match it. Right now, the most powerful Land Cruiser sits at 326 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque. So, a GR-branded Land Cruiser should go above that.

Other manufacturers have already sent into the world crossovers and SUVs with sportier looks and behavior. For instance, Hyundai came up with the Ioniq 5 N and the Kona N, while Kia has the EV6 GT to throw in the battle of the performance crossovers. The Volkswagen already has the T-Roc R, Tiguan R, and Touareg R.