Toyota teases possible GR Prius
Toyota posted a teaser image of a car on May 24 that could preview its next GR-tuned offering. The image is part of a press release about Toyota Gazoo Racing’s plans at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a venue at which the motorsports division has previewed exciting concepts before. The car in the dark teaser shows an unfamiliar light pattern, but has one clue that indicates it’s a close-to-production concept. Enhance!
If we lighten the image, we see what appears to be a flat bracket for hanging a front license plate. If this were a race car, there’d be no need for such a thing. Further zooming in on the image reveals five-sided sensor covers in the front bumper that look identical to the ones on the all-new 2023 Prius.
This wouldn’t be the first time Toyota has GR-ified the Prius. The previous generation enjoyed a more menacing body kit with GR badging but not much in the way of performance. It was a pig both on the drag strip and visually, and there was only so much lipstick a GR makeover could apply. The new Prius, on the other hand, is actually quick and stylish. A GR version actually makes sense.
We don’t want to cast our hopes too high thinking Toyota might give actual performance gains to the GR Prius this time around. However, it should be interesting to see how the Gazoo’d Prius wears its enhanced threads. Those four auxiliary lights sure are aggressive.
The car will be revealed around the 24 Hours of Le Mans weekend, June 10-11. Toyota will fielding two GR010 hybrid race cars at the race as well, and expect to continue their five-year winning streak.
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