Toyota recently announced – alongside allies Mazda and Subaru – plans to “revolutionise” the packaging of the internal combustion engine, doubling down on its belief that ICE technology will continue to play a role for cars in the future, despite the wider global shift to electric cars.
Toyota has long been vocal about the potential for sports cars in particular to benefit from continued ICE development, investing heavily in sustainable fuel development and even partnering with Yamaha to create a hydrogen-compatible 5.0-litre V8 – which could be deployed in the new sports car.
Gazoo Racing boss Masahito Watanabe recently told Autocar that Toyota is pursuing a “multi-pathway” approach for sports cars, rather than investing in all-out electrification. “We still think the internal combustion engine has some potential, and as we do so, we will of course be trying to comply with all the applicable rules according to the regions in each country,” he said.
“But we don’t want to give up. It’s not over just yet, because if you look at the internal combustion engine, there’s still hydrogen combustion that can be a part of that zero-emission line-up. So I think that’s going to continue.”
Lexus has retired its RC and LC coupés in Europe and hasn’t officially commented on plans for any replacements, although the outlandish Electrified Sport concept that it revealed in 2021 emphasises its continued commitment to performance cars.