We’ve talked at length about Toyota’s new, smaller, lighter four-cylinder engines that will do just that The power of everything. However, there is little information regarding the large-displacement ICE engine designed specifically for the company’s new flagship performance car. The GR-badged supercar is scheduled to debut in early December, and yes, it will have a V-8 engine.
In an interview at the ongoing 2025 Japan Mobility Show, Toyota’s powertrain chief, Takashi Uehara, confirmed exciting rumors about a twin-turbo V-8. He explained that the basis for this new eight-cylinder setup lies within the company’s upcoming family of modular gasoline engines consisting of 1.5 and 2.0 liter units.
In the mid-engined GR Yaris M concept, the 2.0-litre “G20E” engine has a target output of more than 400 hp. O’Hara said CarExpert That new V-8 engine is “extensively” related to the four-cylinder engine mounted behind the hot hatch’s seats. The V-8 will provide much more power, and not just because it has four additional cylinders and a second turbo.
The man in charge of engines at Toyota also confirmed another part of the rumor surrounding the GT3-derived supercar: ICE will be part of the hybrid powertrain. However, he clarified that the performance machine will not be a plug-in hybrid. He also hinted that Lexus would use an electrified V-8 in a production version of the sports car concept shown here, which, as we recently learned, is actually a hybrid.
Photo by: Lexus
When asked if Toyota’s luxury division would have access to the new engine, O’Hara basically confirmed it: “You can expect — are you seeing the new Lexus sports car? This is …” He also hinted that engineers are tuning the V-8 differently for Lexus compared to Toyota’s GR flagship:
“Maybe we can get a V-8 with a nicer character, or we can get a more powerful and powerful version.”
We doubt Lexus You’ll get the “gentle-duty” version, while Toyota will use the “heavy-duty” configuration, especially on the GT3 race car. It makes sense for a V-8 to power more than one vehicle; Developing a new engine from scratch for a single low-volume model would be difficult to justify financially. The racing counterpart helps make the investment viable, while the street-legal Lexus derivatives improve economies of scale.
Toyota isn’t the only automaker investing in a new V-8 engine. AMG has one in developmentand its parent company, Mercedes, remains committed to the venerable V-12 engine. Meanwhile, BMW has already confirmed that it is tweaking the V-8 engine to meet upcoming emissions regulations, ensuring its medium-term survival. Through Porsche, the Volkswagen Group also intends to keep V-8 engines alive into the 2030s.
So, yeah, the V-8 isn’t going anywhere.
