Gazoo Racing becomes brand

Toyota NZ is driving Gazoo Racing to the forefront as its dedicated performance brand by creating a “stronger identity” for performance enthusiasts and laying the foundations for a “more connected” GR community.

Changing from Toyota Gazoo Racing to Gazoo Racing (GR), the move signals the start of a new chapter for Kiwis competing in grassroots motorsport, tackling a weekend track day or enjoying a great road.

For New Zealand owners, GR will offer the opportunity to become part of a community which brings together motorsport, experiences, track events, genuine performance parts and merchandise.

Toyota NZ’s chief strategic officer and GR meister, Andrew Davis, says New Zealand already has one of the world's strongest enthusiast car cultures.

“When you own a GR, you’re not just buying a car. You’re joining a people who love driving and enjoy learning, improving and sharing that passion. GR gives people another way to be part of it.”

Rather than treating motorsport as marketing, Toyota uses competition to develop its cars. Every rally stage, endurance race and test session pushes engineers, drivers and vehicles beyond their limits with those lessons flowing into production vehicles.

“Every GR vehicle exists because it was tested, challenged and refined in competition,” says Davis. 

“That’s the philosophy behind GR and the reason why every GR carries motorsport DNA.”

Today, Gazoo Racing competes in some of the world’s toughest events, including the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), World Endurance Championship (WEC), Dakar Rally and Nürburgring 24 Hours.

Those experiences have shaped vehicles including the GR Yaris, GR Corolla and GR86 to deliver a driver’s experience rather than simply more power.

The decision to establish GR as Toyota’s standalone performance brand also reflects the evolution of the business globally.

Davis explains: “Challenge creates learning. Learning creates better cars. That’s been the philosophy behind GR from the beginning.

“We’re excited to build something bigger than products in New Zealand. We’re building a GR community where owners, enthusiasts and motorsport fans can come together through events, experiences and a passion for performance driving.”

The philosophy traces back to 2007 when Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda entered the Nürburgring 24 Hour race under the unofficial Team Gazoo banner. Competing against Europe’s best exposed how much Toyota had to learn about building true performance cars.

Rather than accepting that limitation, Toyota embraced motorsport as its proving ground. That commitment to challenging itself led to the development of today’s GR family of vehicles and remains the foundation of Gazoo Racing today.

“Over the next 12 months, Toyota NZ will work with its store network and GR customers to bring the brand to life across the country,” says Davis.

“This includes creating new opportunities to experience GR products, developing specialist GR expertise across the network, and giving owners greater confidence to personalise, maintain and get the most from their vehicle.”

GR’s NZ product timeline

• 2019: The GR Supra launches to mark the return of one of Toyota’s most iconic performance nameplates.

• 2020: The GR Yaris arrives, developed using WRC experience.

• 2022: The GR86 joins the line-up, delivering lightweight rear-wheel-drive performance.

• 2023: The GR Corolla launches, transferring circuit and rally engineering into a practical five-door performance car.

• 2026: Gazoo Racing launches as Toyota NZ’s standalone performance brand.

Gazoo Racing family

• Gazoo Racing competes at the highest levels of motorsport around the world, including the WRC, WEC, Dakar and the Nürburgring 24 Hours, using racing to help develop better vehicles.

• GR core performance models get racing-derived technology, embodying the spirit of motorsport in every drive.

• Gazoo Racing Meister of Nürburgring represents the top-tier, limited-production performance level of the street-legal line-up.

• GR Sports are inspired by their GR brethren. These models are based on standard vehicles but enhanced through focused chassis tuning, function and design.

• GR Parts allows owners to further personalise and enhance their vehicles with motorsport-inspired accessories.

• GR Community brings owners and enthusiasts together through shared driving experiences, events and track activities.