It could be the first time WhichCar by Wheels has ever heard the boss of a car company state that the primary focus of an otherwise expensive endeavour was not to sell more cars, but that’s exactly what John Pappas, Vice President of National Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations for Toyota Australia told journalists on the eve of the Japanese giant’s first foray into the Supercars category.

“Look for us, actually, this isn’t about selling more cars,” Pappas said. “It’s actually more about building the GR brand, and it’s really more about just learning. Leaning to build better cars, better people. They are the key things fort us, right? This is not about sales and trying to sell cars. It’s about building better vehicles and building the GR brand.”

It’s an admission that raised some eyebrows, but isn’t quite as left-field as it might seem, given the sharp rise of the GR brand in this country, and the associated following that has come with it. GR Yaris got the tyres rolling, followed by GR Corolla, GR86 and of course the GR Supra, a car that Toyota stopped taking orders for in August 2025.

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Further, with Supra joining Camaro as race versions of cars no longer on sale to the general public, Toyota has guaranteed a further five years for the two-door sports car in the Supercars category. That rules out a switch to a different model or body style in the next few years.

Executive Chairman Akio Toyoda has stepped back from the daily running of Toyota globally, but his love of motor racing and his steadfast belief in the GR brand is behind Toyota’s Supercars push, following almost 25 years of deliberation at a local level.

Partnering with Walkinshaw and Brad Jones Racing for a five-car lineup, the rise of Gazoo Racing and it’s associated links to high performance versions of Toyota’s cars, paved the way for Toyota’s move into Supercars. And harked back to the glory days of some of Toyota’s great sports cars and hatches through the 80s and 90s particularly.

What started as a pet project for Toyoda personally, has shifted to become Toyota’s recognised performance brand globally, and now encompasses various racing interests around the world including the link to the Haas F1 team.

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“Akio’s philosophy is about producing better cars,” Pappas said. “He talks about that. I look at that and it just inspires us globally to continue to build, particularly the GR brand in this case. We love to see that expansion and what we’ve seen today, the trajectory that we’re on, we continue to build the GR brand.”

All five Toyota Supras finished inside the top 10 in Sunday’s Supercars race at Sydney Motorsport Park, marking a significant turnaround from Saturday’s struggles for the new model. Up front, Broc Feeney claimed victory after overcoming a failed cool suit, rising engine temperatures and a late-race challenge from Kai Allen in a dramatic, weather-affected contest.