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Speech unveiling Toyota GR GT and Lexus LFA

This was said at the unveiling of the brand new Toyota GR GT and electric Lexus LFA. Simon Humphries begins the story.

“Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to come all this way, to the Toyota Higashi-Fuji plant here in eastern Japan. Originally, this was a press factory. And as some of you may know, this was the factory where Shoichiro Toyoda and Nakamura Kenya created the first Century in 1967. The spirit of invention born here is being reborn today as Woven City’s Inventor’s Garage, a facility for creating the future.”

The love of speed

“Today is not only a celebration of invention, but also of something I know we all love: a celebration of the automobile. The excitement, the thrill, the love of speed – things that I think everyone in this room and everyone watching online shares a passion for. But as with many things in life, a story of strength begins with a story of what in Japanese is called kuyashisa – humiliation.”

“And I want to share this with you from two perspectives. I have been working as a designer for 36 years, and I can honestly say that there is nothing more painful for a designer than to be told that what you have put your heart and soul into is boring. Fourteen years ago, at Pebble Beach in America, exactly that happened when Akio was told during his visit there, “Lexus is boring.” That feeling of humiliation was a turning point and became a source of determination.”

“Then Akio stood up and made a promise: ‘No more boring cars.'” So when we asked him how we would present this car at Pebble Beach this year, his answer was very simple: ‘Just put it there and let it speak for itself.’ And that’s exactly what we did. Without explanation, we let people form their own opinions. And I am very happy to share that at Pebble Beach this year there was not a single person who said Lexus was boring!”

New level of sensory experience

“Being innovative, adventurous, original, helping our customers discover … that’s what Lexus was born to do. And with this car, we wanted our customers to discover a new level of sensory experience. For the vehicle behind me, that meant major breakthroughs, dramatic proportions and innovative packaging. Just look at the stance … that rear view … just stunning. And all under 1,200 mm in height. For any sports car, that’s a huge challenge and a huge achievement. And when this car is finally finished, it will answer Akio’s last request: to completely redefine the sound of an electric sports car.”

“We designed this car to really speak for itself, but that’s no accident.
Because the Lexus Sport you see here owes its existence to another story. And that brings me to the second story of humiliation – this time on the track.”

“I remember Akio telling me that twenty years ago at the Nürburgring he had an experience he would never forget. It wasn’t about being overtaken; it wasn’t about not finishing first. What he saw was that other manufacturers were making racing a priority. They used that opportunity to develop not only new technology and new products, but also the people who make them.”

Sports car highlight for Lexus and GR

“Camouflaged prototypes of cars that had never been seen before were tested to the limit on the most unforgiving track in the world. At that time, as a company, Toyota was not even trying to build a car that could race at the Nürburgring. In fact, we didn’t even have a sports car on sale. So Akio, along with test driver Naruse-san, ended up not only driving an old Supra, but did so under the pseudonym Morizo, with his own unknown private team, Gazoo Racing.”

“Every time it had to make way for another development prototype, it was like they were saying, ‘You guys at Toyota, you could never build a car like this!’ That was then. This is now.”

“So, what do you guys think of this? The GR GT and its racing brother, the GR GT3, are joined here by the new Lexus LFA Concept and together represent the sports car highlight for both Lexus and GR.
All coming from one race-derived platform, true to GR’s promise to push boundaries for improvement and contribute to the entire Toyota Group. And all part of Akio’s promise of no more boring cars.”

4.0-liter V8 twin-turbo

“The GT3 class, where the story of these three cars begins, is all about making cars for people who want to win – both professionals and private drivers. For everyone, everything starts with speed. Without speed, there is nothing. For the GR GT3 race car, with a 4.0-liter V8 twin-turbo, a rigid aluminum spaceframe, an extremely low center of gravity and advanced aerodynamics, all the essential elements are in place. But speed in itself is not everything. Racing is much more than just the straightaway. The real art is in how you control that speed.”

“In real life, as our Master Driver Morizo likes to say, it all comes down to kaiwa – the conversation between driver and car. This GR GT3 is a car designed to give you confidence in any situation. To be reassured by that conversation, even at the limit, in the most extreme conditions. It’s all about the feedback the car gives you to help you make decisions in fractions of seconds.”

Toyota GR GT: for professional and recreational driver

“Smooth communication, knowing how the car will react so there are no misunderstandings, bringing out the best in your skills so you can push the car and yourself even further. The GR GT appeals to both types of drivers – the professional driver and the recreational driver – whether that’s two different people or you and your alter ego.”

“An essential part of any conversation with a car is sound. Not only during acceleration, but also during deceleration and braking. To understand its importance, you need look no further than a thirty-minute drive from here to Fuji Speedway and the transition from the straight to the tight first corner. Brake as late as possible, deeper, faster, and accelerate confidently back along your ideal line. This may be the first time we have focused not only on the sound a car makes when you accelerate, but also on the raw, physical sound when you let off the gas.”

“But the conversation you have on a regular road is different. The GR GT for public roads, with that same V8 twin-turbo but with hybrid drive, shares more DNA with its racing variant than any car we have ever built. For this, the team worked not only at the limits of the car, but also at the limits of the development process – test drivers of production cars worked hand-in-hand with drivers.”

A track-ready daily car

“This is a track-ready daily car – wild on the track, easy in the city. Take it for a session at the track and stop at a good restaurant on the way home. From dynamics to the smallest decisions about seating position, this is a car that covers everything. Akio loves motorsports. In a race team, there is no hierarchy. At the end of the day, everyone is in the pits together. These three cars will work as a team to convey the emotion of driving to both experienced racers and new generations of car enthusiasts.”

“Whether it’s the twin-turbo V8 in the GR GT3, the hybrid version in the GR GT, both running on conventional fuel or e-fuel, or an electric future in the LFA – these cars represent a commitment to keeping the joy of driving at the limits of human possibilities alive for the next generation. Nurturing technology and people to create a new era of driving euphoria – just as Naruse-san brought his wisdom from the Toyota 2000GT to the LFA and passed it on to a new generation of test drivers.”

Emotional side has returned to the business

“In the past fourteen years, not only Lexus and GR, but all brands within the Toyota Group have gone through a transformation. The emotional side has returned to the company. Whether it is driving dynamics, engineering, manufacturing or my field of design, there has been a fundamental change in the mindset of the company.”

“How a car looks and how a car feels – that’s all subjective. But in the pits, as one team with Akio as Master Driver, we have the freedom to do what it takes to make the story of each car a reality. And even though he is approaching seventy, this year Akio Toyoda returned to where it all began 20 years ago by competing in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. And I can guarantee one thing: With these three cars in front of him, he won’t be able to stay away for many years to come.
Nor could he miss this opportunity today.”

Speech Akio Toyoda

Presentation by Akio Toyoda, chairman of the board of directors (representative director)

“Thirty years ago, Naruse-san and I were making cars as a couple. Slowly but surely like-minded colleagues joined in, and when the LFA was finally completed, Naruse-san said with a big smile I had never seen before, ‘It’s the first time I could drive at the Nürburgring while only looking ahead.’ Until that moment, we were constantly being overtaken by other cars, and now we had a car that allowed us to overtake others. I could feel how genuinely happy he was.”

“That didn’t mean the humiliation disappeared. The LFA went into series production, but it was limited production. We started winning races, but that was about getting first place within a class. There were still very, very many cars that were faster than us.”

Secret recipe

“I heard people say, ‘That you guys at Toyota could build a car like that? Never! I will never forget that feeling of humiliation. And that pain is undoubtedly the force that drives me even today. And one day, fifteen years ago, I suddenly inherited the role of master driver. Naruse-san left me the “secret recipe” for making cars – the sauce we made out of our pain of humiliation. There was something else he left behind: a few colleagues who shared that same pain.”

“We used that pain and frustration as a driving force and stayed focused on one thing: making better and better cars. The GR86, GR Supra, GR Yaris, GR Corolla… The hydrogen engine, Super Taikyu, the Nürburgring…
And now these cars… At Toyota today, I have so many like-minded colleagues making cars from a shared belief!”

Sequence of battles

“To these colleagues I want to entrust our automotive ambition, and I want to continue working with them on cars so that our “secret recipe” can be passed on to future generations. And I hope you will continue to count on us to keep you excited.”

“My life has been a chain of battles. And the role I have found in that is to be the last person to protect the others – not my role as president or chairman, but making sure my colleagues can get to safety so they can hone their skills and fight back even stronger. I am the one who will protect them. And to make sure that they continue to have that environment, Morizo will keep going and stay active until I drop.”