For years, Toyota fans have been whispering about the return of a real V-8: something loud, fast and mechanical. Okay, maybe I’m a little hyperbolic. Toyota has V-8s, but it’s been a while since our friends in Japan made an eight-banger for the fans. At the Tokyo Motor Show, Toyota Global Powertrain Chief Takashi Uehara confirmed this AutoExpert what enthusiasts were hoping to hear: A new twin-turbo V-8 hybrid is on its way, and it’s heading to Toyota’s mid-engine supercars, a sentence that should perk up all our ears.
New Toyota Supercar
That engine will first appear in the upcoming Toyota GR GT, which made a shadowy debut at the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Clad in camouflage and roaring through the English countryside, the prototype confirmed that Toyota hasn’t forgotten how to build something nasty. Uehara described the new V-8 as a modular design related to the turbocharged four-cylinder in the Yaris GR Concept – upscaled, doubled and boosted with electrification. The engine capacity is expected to be around 4.0 liters and the revs will be high enough to make the Italians nervous.
But Toyota isn’t keeping this beast all to itself. Lexus, its luxury sibling, gets its own version – possibly a little more civilized but no less powerful. That car is likely the long-awaited Lexus LFR, the spiritual successor to the legendary V-10-powered LFA. Lexus teased its Sport Concept at Monterey Car Week, a sharp blade of carbon and coils that previewed the future of its performance lineup. Uehara all but confirmed the connection, nodding to the concept when asked about future V-8s.
“You can expect – do you see the new Lexus sports car? That’s that…” said Takashi-san, referring to the Sport Concept shown in Tokyo.
Two motorcycles, two cars
What’s fascinating is how Toyota is positioning this new engine family. The automaker’s modular system starts with humble roots: a 1.5-liter turbo-four destined for the next Corolla, and then a 2.0-liter version already powering concept cars. The V-8 represents the top of that pyramid: a culmination of the lessons learned from smaller engines, scaled for performance and hybrid efficiency. Uehara hinted that there will be two flavors of the new V-8: one “gentle” and one “muscular.” In other words: one for Lexus, and one for the wild child with a GR badge.
Unlike other hybrid setups that lean on plug-in complexity, Toyota’s V-8 doesn’t require external charging. Instead, it will combine combustion and electric assistance internally, meeting stringent global emissions standards – including Australia’s new NVES rules – without sacrificing sound or soul.
Listen
A short audio teaser of the V8 released earlier this month has already given fans chills. It’s a deep, metallic growl that rises to a scream – a reminder that Toyota can still make engines that move something primal. If Uehara’s hints about a high-revving design are correct, the new V-8 could rev well above 9,000 rpm, rivaling exotic benchmarks like Lamborghini’s hybrid V-8 in the Temerario.
When will we see the Toyota Supercar on the streets?
Both the Toyota GR GT and Lexus LFR are expected to be fully unveiled soon, with the Toyota debut on December 5, 2025 in Tokyo. For enthusiasts tired of electric silence, this may be the last great mechanical symphony: a twin-turbo hybrid V8 that bridges the gap between old-fashioned combustion and the electric dawn of tomorrow.
In a world where they feel like they’re disappearing, Toyota just built a great engine.
Source: AutoExpert
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