TOYOTA GAZOO Racing unveils ‘GR H2 Racing Concept’ at Le Mans 24 Hours
Jun 9, 2023
TORONTO, Ontario – June 9, 2023 – At a press conference of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) at Circuit de la Sarthe in western France on June 9, Toyota Motor Corporation Chairman Akio Toyoda revealed for the first time the hydrogen engine vehicle prototype "GR H2 Racing Concept”.
Developed with future competition in its sights, the prototype's unveiling was spurred by a recent announcement by the ACO, the organizer of Le Mans 24 Hours, that it would allow hydrogen-engine vehicles to compete—in addition to fuel cell electric vehicles—in the race’s hydrogen category.
Speaking at the press conference, Toyoda congratulated the ACO on the centenary of the Le Mans 24 Hours (Le Mans) endurance race and expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to hone cars through the race.
Toyota has been competing using a hydrogen-engine Corolla in the Super Taikyu Series since Round 3 of the 2021 season and raced the same car in the IDEMITSU 1500 SUPER ENDURANCE 2022 at Thailand’s Chang International Circuit in December 2022. By doing so, it has been honing its technologies in the harsh environment of motorsports and, with like-minded partners in and outside the automotive industry, accelerating its efforts for producing, transporting, and using hydrogen toward the realization of a carbon-neutral society. Toyota intends to further advance such efforts for making ever-better motorsports-bred cars and realizing a carbon-neutral society and it looks forward to taking on the challenge of a new generation of Le Mans 24 races.
The “GR H2 Racing Concept” will be on display at ACO’s “H2 Village” at the venue of Le Mans during the race. (Exhibition period: Friday, June 9, from 9:30 a.m. local time to Sunday, June 11)
About Toyota Canada Inc.
Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) is the exclusive Canadian distributor of Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Toyota has sold over six million vehicles in Canada through a national network of 287 Toyota and Lexus dealerships. Toyota is dedicated to bringing safety, quality, dependability and reliability to the vehicles Canadians drive and the service they receive. TCI’s head office is in Toronto, with regional offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Halifax, and parts distribution centres in Clarington and Vancouver. Toyota also operates two manufacturing facilities in Canada. Having produced more than nine million vehicles, popular Canadian models built at these facilities include Toyota RAV4, Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus RX 350 and RX 450h hybrid, as well as Lexus NX 250, NX 350 and NX 350h hybrid. The company has sold more than 20 million electrified vehicles worldwide and is the number one seller of electrified vehicles in Canada.