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Toyota Is Renaming Its Racing Divisions—Is GR Becoming Its Own Brand?

Toyota announced separate name changes for GAZOO Racing and its Cologne-based European R&D subsidiary. The changes do not establish GR as an independent automaker.
Entry069 Date Time2 min MechanicCarCody Team
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Toyota announced two related but separate changes on January 7, 2026: TOYOTA GAZOO Racing is reverting to the name GAZOO Racing, while its Cologne-based European R&D subsidiary is becoming TOYOTA RACING GmbH. The WEC team will compete as TOYOTA RACING from the 2026 season. Toyota has not said that GR is becoming a legally independent automaker; the announcement describes a brand and organizational change, not a corporate spin-off.

What Toyota is changing

The January 7 announcement covers two operations with different names and roles. Toyota’s GAZOO Racing announcement says TOYOTA GAZOO Racing is reverting to GAZOO Racing. Separately, the company’s European R&D announcement says TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Europe GmbH is renamed TOYOTA RACING GmbH, effective January 7, 2026.

Organization or name Announced role
GAZOO Racing Top-category motorsports such as WRC, and customer motorsports using production vehicles, including the GR Yaris Rally2 and GR Supra GT4.
TOYOTA RACING GmbH Cologne-based European R&D subsidiary; supports GR activities, develops motorsport technology, and operates Toyota’s WEC effort. The WEC team competes as TOYOTA RACING from the 2026 season.

Is GR becoming its own brand?

In the sense that Toyota is organizing and naming its motorsport activities separately, the announcements give GAZOO Racing a distinct identity. But “its own brand” should not be read as “an independent car company.” Toyota’s releases do not say that GAZOO Racing or GR has been legally separated from Toyota, or that it will become a standalone automaker.

The releases describe the names and announced responsibilities, not a new legal or managerial structure beyond those details. Toyota says TOYOTA RACING GmbH will support GR by supplying rally-car engines and producing GT4 cars, while also developing motorsport technology. That connection makes the changes related, but it does not establish that either operation is independent.

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How the two operations fit together

GAZOO Racing: competition and customer motorsport

Toyota says GAZOO Racing will compete in top-category motorsports such as the World Rally Championship (WRC), as well as customer motorsports using production-based vehicles. The named examples are the GR Yaris Rally2 and GR Supra GT4.

TOYOTA RACING GmbH: European development and WEC

The renamed subsidiary is based in Cologne, Germany. Toyota says it will support GR activities, including rally-engine supply and GT4-car production, and develop motorsport technology. The WEC team will use the TOYOTA RACING name starting in the 2026 season, with the TR010 HYBRID.

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Why Toyota says GAZOO Racing is returning to its original name

Toyota says the change is intended to return to GAZOO Racing’s founding principles: developing ever-better cars through motorsport and fostering talent. The name also reflects the group’s unusual beginnings. Toyota traces its origins to 2007, when Akio Toyoda, then an executive vice president, entered the Nürburgring 24 Hours with his driving mentor, Toyota Master Driver Hiromu Naruse, and colleagues. Toyota says the activity was not recognized as official by the company at the time, so the group could not use “TOYOTA” in its name and entered as Team GAZOO.

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What this means for Toyota’s performance-car names

The announcements clarify the labels Toyota will use for its motorsport operations; they do not announce that GR road cars are moving to a separate company. GAZOO Racing remains the name Toyota gives to specified competition and customer-racing activities, while TOYOTA RACING is the name for the Cologne subsidiary and the WEC team from 2026. Toyota’s releases do not describe any broader change to the ownership or legal status of GR road-car operations.

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Quick Recap

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