Toyota to Launch "G's" Sports Conversion Series in Japan

TOKYO, Japan, January, 18 - Toyota Motor Corporation announced it plans to begin a gradual rollout in Japan in mid-2010 of its newly developed "G Sports"(G's) sports conversion car series. The series, to be sold through Toyota-brand dealers, is meant to offer to a wider range of people the "automotive seasoning" that TMC has pursued through its GAZOO Racing activities.

The G's series is designed for customers who strongly desire to own a unique vehicle, offering them a personalized interior and exterior design along with sports-driving performance. TMC has directly designed this sports conversion series, instead of the conventional approach of outsourcing development to a customization firm.

The base vehicle of the G's series is equipped with internal and external components that include sports suspension, aerodynamic parts and racing-style seats. A special focus has been placed on "driving seasoning" to make handling fun, through fine-tuning carried out by the GAZOO Racing test drivers who drove the Lexus "LF-A" in the 24 Hours Nurburgring race in Germany and developed the "iQ"-based "GAZOO Racing tuned by MN(4)" (GRMN).

TMC's aim is to bring that "driving seasoning" and the joy of automobiles to a wider range of customers by reducing production costs through partial inline customization and other measures.

TMC has been carrying out a diverse range of activities to broaden the joy and dreams that vehicles inspire, along with its ongoing efforts to use hybrid-vehicle and other technologies to address environmental issues.

In addition to the "FT-86 Concept" rear-wheel drive compact sports car and the Lexus "LFA" shown at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, plans call for TMC's sports model lineup to expand through the introduction of conversion models and sports-trim models of mass-produced vehicle series, such as the GRMN and G's series.

TMC intends to help foster a motorsports culture by also actively participating in grassroots motorsports events, Formula Nippon and SUPER GT in Japan, and NASCAR in the United States.

The models listed below (including GRMN and G's concept models) are being displayed at the "Tokyo Auto Salon 2010 with NAPAC", one of the world's largest customized car shows, which is being held from January 15 to 17 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture.