Why go racing with a dead car?
The Gen3 version of the A90 model Supra was launched a day after Toyota Australia closed the order book on the equivalent road car.
It’s been known for some time that production of the road-going Supra, which shares a platform with the also soon-to-be-extinct BMW Z4, would cease at the end of 2025.
There are unconfirmed reports that a new Supra is in the works, but it won’t land until at least 2027. And even then, there’s no guarantee it will cop the Supercars treatment.
Indeed, Toyota Australia marketing chief and driver of the Supercars project, Sean Hanley, suggested on Monday that the company is committed to racing the A90 locally for five years.
While that may well change, developing the A90 Supra body for the control Gen3 platform is a multi-million-dollar exercise, so it was never likely to have a single-year lifespan.
So why do it?
According to Hanley, the A90 Supra can still achieve the company’s key Supercars objective of promoting its performance brand – Gazoo Racing – whether it’s in showrooms or not.
“Gazoo Racing and the brand was always our primary objective here,” Hanley said in a press briefing ahead of the reveal of the Gen3 Supra.
“We wanted to cater for what is a definite performance car market in Australia that, despite popular opinion, despite EVs and everything else, is not actually going away.
“Of course, technologies will evolve as time goes on, but we wanted to showcase that Toyota could actually put a performance car and a performance brand out there.”
There are currently only four GR models in Australian showrooms: GR86, Supra, Yaris and Corolla. And only the Supra fits the Supercars mould.
“How can you be stopping GR Supra production and think it’s going to do the job?” Hanley continued, voluntarily addressing the elephant in the room.
“Very simple. If you look at it from the perspective that we looked at it, that is the halo for the GR brand, being the halo effect, then you can start to see it makes a lot of sense.
“The Supra brand name is synonymous with motorsport and performance cars, and we want that Supra nameplate for whatever reason, to not die, to live on.
“And we’ll do that through our Supercars entry.”
The desire for the Supra nameplate to live on hints at a likely rebirth for the brand at some point.
However, asked to clarify if the Supra is officially retired, Hanley said: “That’s the position, and that’s where we are.
“We knew this was on from day one, so I don’t want anyone to think this was an absolute surprise to us. It wasn’t, and we wanted to continue on regardless of that.
“We just believe that for the GR Gazoo Racing nameplate, this is exactly right. And when you see this GR brand evolve over time, I think you’ll start to understand why we’re here today.”
Hanley said the evolution of Gazoo Racing will include an expansion of the range that will solidify the Supercars program.
“We will have GR product from left, right and centre. We’ll have more of in the future,” he said.
“So when you look at it from a Gazoo Racing perspective, we actually will have product in the showroom, plenty of it, and there’ll be more coming.
“It could be confusing for a moment for the audience, but as you see the Gazoo Racing brand expand and grow, this will make complete sense.”
The Supercars audience has a great crossover with ute buyers – a category that includes Toyota’s biggest seller, the Hilux.
The Hilux range currently includes a GR Sport model, but does not get the full Gazoo Racing treatment.
Whether that will change is unconfirmed, as is whether there’s space in the Toyota line-up for a sports car positioned above the current Supra.
“You’ll have to wait and see,” teased Hanley when asked of a new sports car, amid speculation the recently revealed Lexus Sport Concept is a nod to a future Toyota.
“I know everything you need to know, but I ain’t saying nothing.”
The Ford Mustang is the only Supercars contender that is also available in showrooms, with GM having discontinued its Camaro globally in 2024.
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