Toyota Motor Corporation has announced the full commencement of operations at its newly established research and development facility, Toyota Technical Center Shimoyama, that aims to take a sustainable focus in developing the brand's new models. Yes, it is that Shimoyama referenced on the badge adorning the GR Yaris/GR Corolla's G16E-GTS' engine block. Also read: Review: The Toyota GR Corolla is the result of when heart and soul meets science The badge pays homage to the centre's main test track

As starting points go, the Toyota Motor Corporation that new President and CEO, Koji Sato inherits is perhaps as great as it gets. Nobody can say it's not at its apex today; one that's competitive on track, has sports cars in the showroom, is world No.1 in sales, and with a steady vision for the future to boot. That's Akio Toyoda's indelible 14-year legacy. From the birds-eye view his new Chairman post affords, he'll see a Toyota he made cool again, rising tall from the multi-million-unit recall

The global fanfare surrounding the 2022 Toyota GR Corolla will now seemingly hit fever pitch, with the release of the Japan-market GR Corolla RZ, and the “untamed” track-honed GR Corolla Morizo Edition. The GR Corolla Morizo Edition gets its name from the racing alter-ego of Toyota President, Akio Toyoda, who explicitly deemed he wanted a car that delivered “an untamed energy that captivates customers" and "a driving taste that excites and that powers the urge to keep on driving". However, befor

When Toyota’s president Akio Toyoda said “No more boring cars” during an announcement back in early 2017, I ignorantly chuckled. Was it an admission or a promise, or both? Regardless, little did I know that development for the Toyota GR Yaris had already commenced. It was the dawn of TNGA products and since then, I’ve found that Toyota models that are underpinned by it have an organic, fluid flavour in terms of driving dynamics, and that’s only the ‘regular’ models. There’s a division within the

List out some of the coolest bosses on the planet and you’d be hard pressed to exclude Akio Toyoda. You might know him as the president of that rather large car company bearing his family name, Toyota. The man breathes motorsports and was fully behind the GR Yaris right from the start. It turned out to be one of the most brilliant things with an engine in decades and Toyoda deserved to hoon it a little. Hoon it he did, in the process becoming the coolest boss any petrolhead could work for. As th

UMW Toyota Motor has secured about 100 units of the World Rally Championship-bred Toyota GR Yaris. To recap, the B-segment Toyota GR Yaris is a road going version of Toyota Gazoo Racing’s World Rally Championsip (WRC) car – often called a homologation special. Despite using the Yaris name, the GR Yaris have few things in common with a Toyota Yaris. Globally, there are three variants of the regular Toyota Yaris. USA’s Yaris is a rebadged Mazda 2, Europe and Japan gets a smaller model, while the r