The Japanese automaker has been going through some deep changes, recently, but continues to be one of the most important and valuable companies in the world because it now likes to cover all the basics. And then also adds some more.
Toyota is going through some heavy alterations, at the moment. Akio Toyoda, for example, is about to step down from his current positions and become the company’s chairman of the board. In his place will come Koji Sato as the new chief executive from his current appointment as CBO (chief branding officer), as he has been groomed as the apparent heir for years.
His leadership duties already included the Lexus and Gazoo Racing divisions, with Toyoda soon to continue (from April this year) his mentorship from behind the board room. That is interesting, right? To many, it could signal a switch from the 13 years of Toyoda leadership (who, by the way, is the grandson of Kiichiro Toyoda, the founder of Toyota Motors) that saw quite a bit of controversy after first paving the way out of the recent blandness of the ‘reliable Toyota’ trope.
Anyway, in between the massive 2009 and 2010 recall scandal, the reluctance to go after battery-powered electrics, and the unfulfilled vision that Toyota might take the lead in fuel cell vehicles, there were also cool decisions like taking a swing at the sporty lot with the new GR series of models. TGR (aka Toyota Gazoo Racing) is now not just the motorsport arm of the company but also a renowned performance road car brand thanks to a few daring decisions.
For example, TGR successfully competes in endurance and rally championships, while the GR Yaris, GR86, GR Corolla, or GR Supra have become ubiquitous for the sporty image of feisty Toyotas – even if not always for the right reasons. Alas, the company pushed forward and not only has main heroes, but also treats many other models to the current GR Sport lifestyle after first paving the way forward with limited edition series of the GRMN variety. But, of course, everyone wants to be a full GR star, not just a GR Sport runner-up.
Currently, the GR flagships cover most of the basics. The global GR Supra came to life in 2019 as the fifth generation of the iconic nameplate and as a traditional representative of the two-door RWD sports car breed. Sure, not everyone is convinced, since Toyota worked with BMW and used a joint architecture that also underpins the G29 iteration of the Z4 roadster. Alas, the 2020 GR Yaris that appeared in 2020 wiped away all shame – at least in the regions (Japan, Europe, Australasia, etc.) where it was allowed to compete as a pocket rocket with other hot hatchbacks.
Photo: Toyota
Moving on, in 2021, the second-generation GR86 also came to life as a follow-up to the original Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 siblings, and its global parkour has shown that traditional two-door sports cars may be an endangered species but still have some fight left in them. Last, but certainly not least, last year Toyota finally made amends with its North American fans and presented the compact 2023 GR Corolla, a second Hot Hatch to show that five-doors are not extinct just yet, either.
By the way, notice something logical across the Toyota GR family roster? There are no crossovers, SUVs, or trucks at the top of the Gazoo Racing pyramid, unlike the GR Sport series, where one has access to many high riders. But what if that was subject to change, even if only digitally? Well, the virtual artist tucked behind the X-Tomi Design label on social media has been jumping back and forth between continental CGI ideas as opposed to brewing new hypothetical series. As such, the most recent projects include a hybrid Peugeot 508 Coupe, a PHEV Opel Astra GSe Cabrio, Suzuki Fornx Sport, Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 Coupe, and even a feisty, 617-hp BMW X5 M Competition ‘Ute’ pickup truck.
They are all tucked in the gallery above for illustrative purposes – so that one can grasp the way this pixel master dreams of new models that are almost like the real ones. But he also recently made a “sporty” variant of Toyota’s “new giant SUV” and that is the one that fully caught our attention. Thus, meet the unofficial Toyota GR Grand Highlander, a seven or eight-seat, three-row crossover that went through hypothetical factory GR tuning and came out lowered, slapped with lots of new aero goodies, rocking bigger contrasting black wheels, a two-tone paintjob, and even some stylish details such as body-colored plastic trim.
As for what is under the hood, the top 2024 Grand Highlander will be offered soon in America with up to 362 hp of Hybrid Max power, but for this imagined GR Grand Highlander, we can only think of a better fit. That would be the 437-hp twin-turbo V6 and electric assembly dubbed ‘i-Force Max,’ from the Tundra and Sequoia siblings.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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